The Dragon Tamer
by PARADISE.x
Summary: High Princess Lucy 'Dragon Tamer' Heartphilia is a world class Dragon Tamer. When her father gives her a Dragon for her birthday, Lucy will find that not everything is what is seems, especially with an overprotective Dragon that turns into a handsome young lad at night. This 'Dragon-Boy' will not only flip her life upside-down, but also make her see how cruel the world really is.
1. The Tamer, Waking

**Title: The Dragon Tamer**

**Rated: M for heavy language, heavy/graphic violence, strong sexual themes, crude humor, adult situations and a totally sexy dragon boy~!**

**Genres: Romance and Horror**

**Summary: High Princess Lucy 'Dragon Tamer' Heartphilia is a world class Dragon Tamer. When her father gives her a dragon for her birthday, Lucy will find that not everything is what is seems, especially with an overprotective dragon that turns into a handsome young lad at night. Arrogant, loud and annoying, this Dragon-Boy will not only flip her pampered life upside-down, but also make her see how cruel the world really is. Lucy, be careful, alright?**

**Hello, everyone! Welcome to my newest multi-chapter story, The Dragon Tamer! This story is going to be very sad, by the way, and very messed up. I have horrifying plans for this story, and I am very descriptive in action scenes and –cough-torture-cough- scenes. I hope you like blood and gore, because you are going to get plenty enough in this story.**

**Also, Jude Heartphilia is not going to be cruel in this story. I already have him playing as the Devil in one of my other stories XD Also; Wendy is her older version in this, so if I write 'And Wendy's big bosoms bounced' or something like that, I don't want you to be all like, "WTF WENDY DON'T GOT NO BOOBIES!" lol**

**Anywho, onto the first chapter of The Dragon Tamer~!**

**OoOoOoO**

The young blonde's big brown eyes blink open as the large curtains to the left of her bed are wrenched open by none other than her best maid, Wendy Marvel-who was also her youngest maid. Wendy claps her hands delightedly and shouts, "Miss Lucy! It is time to get up for your big day!" The woman on the bed groans but sits up, knowing it was futile to argue with the pretty young girl. She stretches until her bones crack and she brings her arms down with a satisfied sigh. Wendy smiles broadly and walks over to her mistress, pulling down the large white comforter from her body. She lays in down at the foot of the large king sized bed and claps again, "What would you wish to wear today, Miss Lucy, perhaps a silk pink dress with a white sash? Or maybe you're favorite one, that older, plain red dress?"

High Princess Lucy Heartphilia smiles at her maid and says, "Oh thank you, Wendy, the red one would be delightful! May I ask what is for breakfast?" Her voice is sweet and kind, as was her demeanor. Wendy could never ask for a nicer and more respectful princess to serve under other than the one she has now. Lucy never complained (unless if it was too cold or if she was hungry, but when she does complain, it is light and over quickly), never yelled unless necessary at her servants, and was always extremely grateful towards anyone who help her.

Wendy smiles at her, "Of course you can ask, Miss Lucy! Erza has prepared your favorite dish; octopus sushi on a seaweed surface sprinkled lightly with soy sauce, along with a side of cheaply made steamed beef dumplings. Why you eat only cheap ones is beyond me…" Wendy scrunches up her cute button nose distastefully.

Lucy simply laughs heartedly and says, "Why it is the best kind, of course! The more expensive dumplings we get are always either too seasoned or not seasoned enough!" She climbs out her bed and shivers as her feet touch the cool carpet surface, "Gah! Cold!"

Wendy chuckles and picks up a pair of golden lace slippers, going onto one knee and slipping them onto Lucy's small and smooth feet. The older woman looks down at her and says, "Oh Wendy, you don't need to do that!"

Wendy looks up at the young princess and smiles hugely, "Yes I do, Miss Lucy, it is my job to make sure you're completely pampered! You deserve it, especially after your excessive taming last night, you simply blew me away at how quickly that Dragon bowed down to you!" Was it just Lucy, or did the maid have a dark edge to her voice?

Shrugging it off as her imagination, Lucy smiles and says, "Really? It took me an hour and thirty minutes though, that isn't as good as the Dragon Masters!" Immediately the young woman goes into daydream mode, imagining the great men and women who have tamed so many Dragons in such little time so that they could earn the title Dragon Master, which was the greatest honor to bestow upon anyone. Well, under 'High Princess' or 'High Prince' of course, which was earned when brothers and sisters of royal blood fought and the one left standing was deemed highly, hence the name 'High Princess' or 'High Prince'. When those of royal blood turn 5, they are trained in martial arts, swordsmanship, and if the child is a mage-which is rare-, they are trained in whatever magic they possess. Lucy was a mage herself, and her magic was rare as well. She was a Celestial mage, one of the last ones on Earthland! Because of this, Lucy's father, High King Judo Heartphilia, always pushed her to her breaking point, making sure she learned new things everyday about her magic and the world around her.

Smiling at the thought of her amazing father, Lucy skips over to her full length mirror happily. She inspects her messy bedhead and scowls darkly, "Wendy, may I have my brush, please?"

The servant nods her tiny head and walks over to Lucy to hand her a large brush made from pure silver incrusted with gleaming rubies. The High Princess nods her head in thanks to the smaller girl and runs the brush through her unruly hair mercilessly, already used to the pain it produced. Once her golden hair is completely smooth and knot free, she smiles at her reflection in the mirror and says to Wendy, "Wendy, how long do I have before morning classes?"

The maid looks at her and says in her sweet voice, "You have been given the honor not to attend morning classes and to instead dine with your father. You are free to do whatever you wish for the rest of the day after you two are done eating, Miss Lucy. Well, up until 6 o'clock where you shall attend a royal banquet in the special occasion of your 18th birthday!"

Lucy smiles and says, "Will there be octopus sushi?"

Wendy laughs charmingly, "Oh Miss Lucy, yes there shall be octopus sushi!" She takes the expensive brush from Lucy and sets it down on a mahogany table next to the large mirror. Lucy laughs along with her maid and friend before turning and stretching once again until satisfied. She walks over to a large door in the south wall of her large bed chambers and opens it up to reveal a whole other room completely dedicated to clothing. Lucy smiles and says, "Well I must not be late for breakfast with father! He might have important news for me." She steps into the room and Wendy hurries around her to retrieve a short, easy to move in dress made from red cotton.

"Get undressed, Miss Lucy!" Wendy says, already undoing buttons in the back of the dress.

Lucy nods and quickly strips off her white silk nightgown, now standing naked except for underwear. Wendy gestures for her to take those off too, so she does, throwing her underwear to the side. She stands shivering in the colder walk-in closet and whines loudly, "Wendy~! I'm cold!" Lucy absolutely hated being cold.

Wendy rolls his big brown eyes and says, "I know, I know, Miss Lucy, just hand on a second." She unbuttons the last fastening to the dress, reaches over into an opened drawer to grab black panties and a lacey bra before turning back to Lucy and handing her the undergarments. Lucy shoves them on quickly and then reaches her arms towards the ceiling so that it would be easier for Wendy to help her get the dress on. Wendy brings up the dress and carefully places it over her arms and slides it down her smooth body until the dress was fully into place. With a sweet smile Wendy backs up to examine a job well done. She nods before turning and reaching back into another drawer. She pulls out a simple scarlet lace and walks to Lucy's side once again. Wendy reaches up and grabs a few locks of her hair, bringing it up to the side of her head. She then uses the lace to tie up those locks of golden hair. She makes the lace look good in Lucy's hair by tying it into a cute bow instead of just a drab knot.

Lucy smiles at Wendy and nods her head in thanks, "Thank you, Wendy." Suddenly, her stomach rumbles and Lucy giggles slightly, "Sorry! I'm just really hungry!"

Wendy smiles and takes Lucy's arm in a friendly way, "I will get Leo to escort you to breakfast then."

Lucy smiles, "Thank you Wendy." She smirks at the thought of the handsome lion-like man who always wore a nice tuxedo and green glasses. Leo was like a big brother to Lucy, for he was always to overprotective of her, yet he did let her play out in the courtyard as long as he or Tarsus [another servant of Lucy's] was there to protect her if needed. Those two were part of her collection of Celestial keys and loved to come out at any given time, whether it is using her magic or their own. While she is thinking of her friend, Wendy begins to drag her out of the room, knocking Lucy out of her daydream. Lucy smiles and walks at Wendy's brisk pace, tightening her arm around Wendy's elbow. Wendy breaks their embrace to open the front doors to her bed chambers for the High Princess of Fiore, stepping out of the way to allow access for her to leave. Lucy does so, walking out and into the extravagant corridor lined with a multitude of expensive looking doors. Lucy could never understand why people would waste money on something as mundane as doors, but never did question her father about his expensive and stuck up lifestyle.

Wendy leads her mistress down the corridor [for her room was at the very end!] and around a sharp turn, revealing yet another corridor, yet this time in the middle of the hallway stood a tall man with soft orange hair. He turns and smiles hugely at Lucy before bowing his head and placing a scarred hand over his heart-the traditional bow that close friends gave to those of royal blood. Lucy smiles right back and nods her head in respect for the older man, before walking over to him in a mature type of way. She once again nods her head to him and says in the heavily accented voice most royals have, "Thy doing quite alright, Leo?"

Leo takes one look at her, before cracking up laughing. Lucy does the same, laughing so hard her sides began to hurt. Leo laugh some more before wiping a single tear from his eye, "Ah Princess, you never fail to make me smile!"

Lucy smiles and says in her normal, sweet voice, "I know I'm hilarious!" She giggles and says to Leo, "How are you?"

The Zodiac shrugs, "Been better, and happy birthday, Princess!"

Lucy rolls her big brown doe-like eyes, "Leo, you can just call me Lucy, or Miss Lucy like Wendy calls me! Even though I have told her over and over again to just call me Lucy…" She glances back at Wendy with a sly smile, and the maid giggles nervously. "But thank you though."

"But I love calling you Princess, Princess!" He suddenly takes her hand and smirks seductively at her, "Because you're _my _princess, my love."

Lucy doesn't even blink. She is used to his playboy ways; even has come to play along! She smirks dangerously and says in a silky smooth voice, "Oh really? And how many times have you said that to Aries?"

She got him on that one, for Leo drops his seductive act and her hand and blushes fiercely. Lucy's smirk turns into an adorable smile, _the way he blushes when even her name is mentioned is so cute! _She thought to herself as Leo adjusts his green tinted glasses, "N-never actually…"

Lucy smirks devilishly and leans towards him, "And that's because…?" Her tone was suggestive, probing even.

Leo pokes his slender fingers together while blushing more, if possible, "B-because I-I…uh-"

"_L-Leo_? Where d-d-did you go?" A quiet voice calls out and all three mages turn to see a short woman with gorgeous features walking towards them. She is wearing a short, fluffy dress made from white wool, leg warmers and arm warmers made from the same material, and she has striking soft pink curls leading up to large ram horns. Her demeanor is bashful; with her rosy cheeks and the way she curled into herself and looked as if she wanted to disappear even though she was around friends who adored her. When her big brown eyes land on Leo, a soft smile comes to her face and she rushes over on her small feet.

Leo immediately turns to greet the Ram Zodiac Spirit, "Aries!" His tone is instantly happy and he takes Aries's hand as she nears, making the young woman go beat red. He turns to address Lucy again, "Do you wish for me to escort you to breakfast, _Miss Lucy_?" He makes the point to call her by what she preferred, making the High Princess smile.

"Nah, Leo, I can walk myself there believe it or not! You and Aries go have fun!" Lucy says, shooing them away with a big smile on her face, "But make sure you attend the banquet this evening for my birthday! It wouldn't be a party without you two!"

Aries decides to speak up, bowing her head to Lucy and placing a hand over her heart, "M-M-Miss Lucy, happy b-birthday!" She suddenly holds up a small box wrapped in gold thread causing Lucy to gasp in surprise.

"Oh Aries, you didn't!" She takes the present out of Aries's shaking hand and opens the box by untying the lace. She takes off the top to reveal a gorgeous ruby ring. The gold band had curling Dragons carved into the material and immediately tears pop into the young maiden's big brown eyes.

Aries is quick to say, "Y-y-you do not like it, don't you? Oh I knew you wouldn't, I should have gotten you something better, something more you-" She is cut off by Lucy giggling and smiling brightly.

"Oh Aries, how could I not like it? It is the most gorgeous thing I have ever laid my eyes on!" She looks at Leo as he coughs loudly, and she scoffs as she rolls her eyes, "Other than you, Leo." Leo smirks brightly and throws his toned arm around little Aries's petite shoulders, causing the little ram to go beat red. Lucy rolls her eyes again and reaches inside the box to take out the ring. She slips it onto her left index finger, where it fit perfectly, "Thank you so much, Aries!" She squeals before launching herself at Aries, crushing her into a big hug. Aries squeaks but giggles and hugs her back, still keeping up her bashful demeanor.

They part and Leo wraps his arm once again around Aries, this time around her waist. Aries looks at the ground and pokes her fingers together nervously, yet obviously delighted at how close the Lion Zodiac Spirit was to her. Leo speaks up again, "Well, since you do not wish for me to escort you, Aries and I will be taking our leave." They walk down a hallway to their left, waving back at them as they leave.

Lucy nods and says, "Have a great day you two! See you later!" She turns to look back at Wendy and says, "You can go do what you want too, Wendy! I can handle myself."

Wendy looks slightly uncomfortable at the thought of leaving her mistress, but nods her head all the same, "Very well, Miss Lucy." She does the traditional bow amongst friends before turning and walking down the corridor.

Lucy smiles and turns to walk down the corridor in the opposite direction of where everyone else was heading, her footsteps making light noises on the carpeted ground. She stares at the ground, as she always does when she walks, before turning sharply to the right to be facing large gilded doors decorated with swirling patterns of blue, white and light pink. She reaches for the striking golden door handle and presses down on it, opening the door with ease. She pushes the door open and walks into a large, cavernous room. She takes in the familiar beauty and smiles softly, making sure she was standing up straight and that her head was held up high and proud. She notices that every guard in the room immediately drops to their armor-clad knees in the traditional bow that peasants and servants gave to those of royal blood, and she can't help but feel bashful and out of place, especially in the simple dress she was wearing, void of any jewelry or expensive accessories. She looks up as her father stands up from his place at the long mahogany dining table in the center of the room. He smiles graciously at her and gestures for her to sit, "Lucy! Please, sit, sit! Your favorite dish has been prepared for you, my dear!"

Lucy smiles right back at High King Jude Heartphilia, her father, and rushes over to sit down in her usual spot at the table. She pulls back a chair and sits in it before scooting the chair forward so that she could easily get her food. She smiles at her father and says, "Greetings, father. How are you this morning?"

High King Jude smiles at his gorgeous daughter and says, "Very good! Very thankful that I have such a great daughter! Oh you are going to love the present I got for you! I think I did great this year!"

Lucy grimaces, "It's not a shrieking gargoyle, is it?" She shivers at the thought of the lack of sleep she had for months before she finally got so tired of the beast she had returned it to where it came from.

Her father visibly pales at this, "You're never going to let me down for that are you?" He mutters, before saying in his booming tone, "No it is not, my dear! You are going to love it."

Lucy smiles broadly and says, "Is there any other news you have for me?"

King Jude nods his head and says, "You are turning 18 and I believe it is time for you to start looking for a suitable husband. You are in the prime of your life, my dear, and you need someone to rule alongside you when you become High Queen of Fiore when I am dead and long gone."

Lucy scowls darkly, "You aren't gonna die any time soon, father, so this shouldn't be an issue. I'll marry when I meet the guy I am destined to be with, and no way am I going to just pick some random guy on whim!"

Her father sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, "I tried reasoning with you, so how about this?" His usually kind brown eyes turn cold and emotionless as he grinds out, "You find and marry a man of some royal blood before your 19th birthday; he can be of your choosing. If you do not complete this task or refuse to, then I will have no choice but to arrange a marriage for you with whom I deem fit enough to rule my country; well under you, of course. He might be the King and a man, but true royal blood will forever come first."

Lucy frowns and launches herself from her seat, "Father! Just a year?! I can't find some man, fall in love with him and marry him in a year's time! It just isn't humanly possible, and it is not as if there are any really great and down-to-Earthland guys of royal blood anymore!" She screeches, fury making her face go red. _He really expects me to find some guy and marry him?! One year isn't enough! My life isn't some sappy romance novel Erza reads whenever she has free time!_

The King sighs once again and gestures for her to leave, "I am tired of you yelling at me…you can go eat your food elsewhere. Dismissed."

Lucy wasn't giving up yet, "But father-"

His eyes flash and he growls out, "_I said dismissed_!"

Lucy gasps at her father's outburst. He has never yelled at her before, not in this way. His voice sounded cold and harsh, not the usual furious, booming voice he has when he would yell at her for breaking something or doing something wrong. Personally, Lucy much preferred the furiousness over the stoniness. With a huff of anger, Lucy twirls on her heel and stomps out of the room, slamming the large door behind her as hard as she could. _How dare he?! Does he really expect me to find some guy in one year?! Fucking asshole…_ She thinks darkly to herself as she stalks down the hall, fuming.

_It's not as if the perfect man for me is going to just be wrapped up in a bow with my name on him!_

**OoOoOoO**

**I hope everyone loved the first chapter of The Dragon Tamer! BTW, the Dragon tamer is Lucy…shhhh don't tell anyone XD**

**If you want more why don't you just click review, put your little review up in there:**

**Ex.**

_**Oh, Parrie-chan, I loved it so much, keep on updating! –smoochy smoochy smoochy!-**_

**Click favorite and subscribe to meh story, IF YOU DARE! I'll see you all next time on The Dragon Tamer~!**

**PARADISE.x**

**p.s. did you know that there is an actually mental disease that causes people to fall in love with fictional characters?! I know now…DON'T COME NEAR ME NATSU!**


	2. The Tamer, Celebrating

**Hey everybody! How's everyone's day going? I hope I can brighten it up with the long waited 2nd chapter of The Dragon Tamer! Already I got a lot of reviews for it, so updating became a priority for me! I've been really busy lately, and I've gotten grounded a lot...-sniff sniff- well, enough chit-chat! Onto the story!**

**But remember...IF MY BLOOD WAS ANY BLUER I'D BE A SMURF! -cough-**

**OoOoOoO**

Tying the long blue ribbon around the tuff of hair she was elevating above the rest of her heavenly blonde hair, Lucy creates a tiny pony tail on the top right side of her skull, complementing her soft features perfectly. She smiles at herself in the cracked and dirty mirror of the Dragon Emporium, loving how innocent and sweet she looked. She does a little pose, giggling at her reflection before turning and opening the door to the women's changing room. She smoothes out wrinkles in her tight black leotard by running a hand down her flat stomach. Her worn-out knee-high leather boots make no noise as she walks down the dirty main hallway, heading straight for the 'stables'-where the Dragons were kept, both trained and untrained. She smiles as she continues along, day-dreaming of the elemental Dragons she was assigned to train. Her right hand goes to the professional-grade leather whip coiled and attached to her hip and she debates on wether or not she should just throw it away. It's not as if she ever uses it, the whip was mostly for show. She despised using inhumane methods such as whipping and beating the beautiful beasts that were Dragons to tame them. Now, if she were anyone else but herself, she would have to suck it up and use the whip if she didn't want her head being ripped off her shoulders. But Lucy's special, she doesn't have to crack a whip at the beasts. Oh no, that is because Lucy has a special talent no one else has.

She can talk to Dragons.

Every since birth she has had this ability that made her different from other kids her age. While as other little girls played with barbies and learned how to cook, Lucy always enjoyed watching the Dragon Masters tame Dragons. When she turned 6, she had snuck into the Dragon Emporium-the local Dragon taming center, and accidentally went into a Dragon named Skiadrum's, the Dragon of Shadows, cage. She was locked inside with the untrained Dragon and immediately everyone prepared for the worst. Out of the blue came High King Jude Heartphilia, who appeased the worried Dragon Masters that Lucy would not be harmed by the Dragon. Sure enough, after a long hour of waiting for either a corpse or a girl, the young princess walked out without a scratch on her person! She had been giggling and promising the Dragon that she would return to 'play with him again'. Ever since then, the Dragon Masters let her train in the ancient art of Dragon Taming, and she is above everyone else in her apprentice level.

Taking a sharp left, Lucy comes across a large set of wooden doors. She stops in front of them to take a deep breath, even though she has done this multiple times before. _But this is a new Dragon! I heard he is a fearsome beast that is difficult for even the Dragon Masters to contain! Maybe I can sweet talk him...oh I wonder what he is like!_ The young maiden of blue blood* thinks to herself as she takes yet another breath. She exhales slowly and reaches out to run her right dominant hand down a terrible gouge in the wood. Something had scratched it with humongous claws. Only one beast could do that so easily and not leave a single shred of evidence behind.

A Dragon.

Lucy sighs before shoving open the marred door, grunting slightly in her efforts. Revealed to her was a rather drab room, but the sheer size of it made up for that flaw. The dirt ground was scarred to the point of it being difficult to walk across and the titanium barrier surrounding the large dirt area was scorched and blackened beyond belief. The ceiling seemed to go on forever, as did the light brown walls that were further up, above the titanium plates. Now, all of this would catch your attention yes, but I believe that your eyes would not be on the titanium nor the ceiling. Oh no, no, it would, perhaps, be on the 50 foot Dragon crouched and ready to spring at any moment in the very center of the Taming Ring.

Lucy's big brown eyes take in the Dragon quickly, knowing that the second it noticed her she would be forced to make eye-contact if she valued her life at all. He was a gorgeous beast with brilliant crimson scales that gleamed in the bright lights of the Dragon Emporium. His muscles ripple underneath his rock-hard skin as he pushes himself off the a ground and to face her. His long and slender tail ends in a deadly point, yet with a webby skin-like substance that stretched from both sides of the end of his tail to form a fan-probably a feature to help him stay in the air when he flies. Speaking of flying, oh his _wings_! They were absolutely marvelous! Large yet sleek and surprisingly elegant, more than capable of getting the large beast off the ground and into the sky. The webbing between long and hollow bones that stretched down were etched with dark veins pumping blood and other fluids throughout the appendages. The very sight of this magnificent creature sent chills through Lucy-definitely the good kind. As she stares at the beast, one thing ran through her mind.

_This is the most gorgeous Dragon I have ever set my eyes on._

Unfortunately, she was forced to rip her eyes from his outstanding physique to meet his own eyes. Milk-chocolate meets brilliant onyx as her eyes lock onto his. She does not move, and neither does the beast, all she does is stare into his eyes and refuse to back down from his penatrating stare. It feels like forever for Lucy before the beast breaks eye contact and growls in a deep and threatening drawl, "_You, mortal woman! You dare keep me prisoner_?!"

Lucy stares up at him before smiling calmly, "If you wanted to, I am sure you could escape at any time. How could I be keeping you prisoner if you could simply destroy the roof and fly out? Be kind of foolish of me, don't you think?"

The Dragon's nostrils flare and he snarls out, "_Are you hinting that I enjoy staying here?! Damned wench, I'll have you kno-wait a second_." He pauses and cocks his head to the side as if confused, "_How can you understand me, woman? No mortal man, woman nor could possibly understand the tongue of Dragons! What exactly are you? Are you some sort of spirit? Perhaps a Dragon posing as a human woman? No, you don't have the scent_."

Lucy can't help but giggle. Dragons are always confused when they first meet Lucy, "I guess you can say I'm special!" She says it almost with pride, thrusting her thumb towards her chest and smirking broadly, "And as for hinting that you enjoy staying here, I meant no disrespect. I am simply _hinting _that you _could_ escape any time you wanted to, but since you are still here, you must want _something_. You are obviously a Fire Dragon. Say..." She leans forward and her smirk drops to a serious frown, "You wouldn't happen to be_...the_ Fire Dragon, would you?" Her tone is probing, and her eyes bore into his.

The Fire Dragon simply smirks as if this were funny to him. The smirk itself would be terrifying to most people, but to Lucy...why it was the most gorgeous thing in the world! She can't help but smile back at him, "_I am sorry to inform you, but I am not my father Emperor Igneel, woman_."

The young High Princess gasps before bowing lowly, "But still you are of royal blood higher than even my own! Forgive me, my Lord, for the horrid informal tone I possessed earlier! If I had known exactly who you were-"

"_You need not need to bow to me, mortal, I know there was no way you could have known. Even so, I have been banished from the Dragon Realm, so I am hardly royalty any longer_." He looks away from her and scoffs in his loud tone as if it is no big deal.

Lucy, on the other hand, does not feel the same way, "Oh that's horrible! Banished from your home? Why I couldn't possibly dream of ever being cast away from Magnolia Kingdom, more or less all of Fiore! You must feel terrible! Is there anything I can get you? Are you hungry?" She says as she clasps her petite hands in front of her, big tears in her gorgeous brown eyes.

The Dragon stares at her as if she's grown another head before he smirks and nods vigorously, "_I'm starved! Thanks!_"

Lucy can't help but giggle as she turns her back on the Dragon **[A/N: Note to self, hit Lucy upside the head for turning her back ON A DRAGON!]** and walks towards a set of smaller doors only a human with a small structure could get through-which is the usual size of Dragon Tamers because they have to be able to dodge fire balls. She opens the doors easily, revealing a large closet filled to the brink with different assortments of whips, rope, and food. She looks over her shoulder and calls out to the waiting Dragon, "What do you like? We have scraps of iron...bird seed? Uh, let's see..."

Deciding to speak up, the Dragon's booming voice reaches her ears, "_Got any fire_?"

Lucy turns to face him and puts a hand on her hip, "Fire? We have lit torches, if that is what you mean?" _Damn, this Dragon is weird!_

Showing another toothy grin, the beast nods, "_That's perfect_!"

The High Princess of Fiore rolls her beautiful brown eyes before turning back around again, reaching for the large torch hung up on the wall. She manages to get it out of its handle in record time without burning herself and she turns to the large crimson scaled Dragon waiting for his food. She smirks broadly at him as she walks towards him and out of the closet. She holds the torch up to him and says, "You eat my arm, you die." She tries to say it menacingly, but the fact that she was grinning like an idiot ruined it. The Dragon smirks at her once again before leaning his broad head over and grasping the torch between his lips. Lucy shivers at the heat he gave off, going completely still. _H-he's so close to me! But he seems kind, so surely there is nothing to fear from him...yet my heart still races! _She thought to herself as he leans back again and completely devours the large flame. Once both the torch and fire is gone, the Dragon actually _burps_ and smirks at her! Still rather bemused, Lucy manages a large grin and a tiny giggle, "C-cool!"

The Dragon grunts at her before leaning down and resting his head on his giant paws**[A/N: Would they be called that? Hm...]** and sighing softly. Well, softly to Dragons while to Lucy it was more like a tiny gust of storm. Lucy giggles again as the Dragon looks at her lazily, "_I am tired, maiden. Go away_."

Lucy's left eye twitches, "Laziest Dragon in the universe!" She growls out, but he wasn't listening. The Dragon was already fast asleep, perfectly content in the Dragon Tamer's presence.

How peculiar.

OoOoOoO

"Oh my! My Lady, look at you! You are covered in grime and filth! This is going to take forever to scrub off of y-" Wendy is cut off by Lucy running past her, perspiring horribly. After watching the newest Dragon sleep for awhile, Lucy had realized _just what time it was_, and had quickly raced to the dressing rooms, shoved on the red velvet dress she had worn earlier that day, took her hair out of the ribbon it was in(because her father hated that look on her) and quickly _ran_ back to her castle-which was, by the way, three miles from the Dragon Emporium!

"No time, Wendy! I got to be there now!" Lucy says, storming down the lavish and expensive looking hallway, heading straight for the main ballroom of the castle. Her birthday celebration was going to be held there, and Lucy was already five minuets late! "Shit, shit, shit, damn, hot damn! Dad's gonna have my ass for this!" Lucy mutters to herself.

Wendy runs after her, "B-but my Lady! Please put on some perfume at least! Please? My Lady!" She squeals, holding up a tiny bottle of clear liquid. It was labeled something in French, and Lucy knew it was her favorite scent, the one that smelled of smoke and peaches. What an abnormal perfume!

But then again, Lucy was no normal maiden.

Lucy sighs heavily before pausing and allowing Wendy to spray a bit onto her wrist. She quickly rubs her wrist with the other one, therefore spreading the scent, before smiling, "Thanks Wendy! Now c'mon!" She grabs her maid's hand and drags her along with her, streaking down the hallway once again. Finally reaching her destination, Lucy and Wendy pause to pant heavily outside the large marble doors that led to the magnificent ballroom of the Heartplilia Castle. "G-good...we...made...it...only...five minuets...late...damn...!" Lucy manages to get out. She stands to her full height once again and runs her fingers through her hair, wincing at the way they got caught in knots. "Damn it!" She swears, before sighing heavily, "Great, it's my 18th birthday and I probably look like crap! Dad's gonna be so angry!" Wendy simply smiles at her mistress before pulling out a slender comb from the many folds of her thick maid's dress. She hands it to Lucy, and the High Princess smiles gratefully, "Wow, you think of everything, Wendy! Thanks!" She quickly brushes her hair, loving how soft it becomes. She hands the comb back to Wendy before turning towards the doors again. She cracks her neck and plasters on the fakest smile Wendy has every seen, "Showtime!"

She pushes open the doors with ease, yet before she can step into the room, Wendy runs in front of her, "Sorry, my Lady, formalities!" She stands up perfectly straight and claps her hands to gain the attention of the large crowd mingling in the grand room, "Excuse me, everyone!" Eyes of every color and shape turn to look at her, and Wendy smiles sweetly, "Announcing the arrival of our birthday girl, High Princess Lucy Heartpilia!" Music immediately starts playing and Lucy finally steps into the room.

Chuckling nervously, Lucy scratches the back of her head and says, "Sorry I'm so late! Had a little work I needed finished!" People laugh along with her, but mainly to be polite. _Oh how I hate this!_ She notices that Wendy bows and leaves her side to go and blend in with the staff, and she feels sadness spike through her gut, _Wendy come back! I can't survive this without you!_ She thought to herself in disdain. Slowly Lucy forces herself to travel over to the large dining table, where her father was sitting at the head. She gulps lowly at the look of brewing anger on his face as she reaches his side. She bows her head as a formality and says in a professional voice, "G-greetings, father." _Damn that stutter! _"I apologize for being so late, there was this particularly difficult Dragon to tame-"

"Oh I know _all _about your new friend." King Jude says lightly, and just like that the anger is gone, leaving Lucy confused and little scared. She reaches down to pull out the chair that she planned to sit in, but before she could, another set of hands stop her. She looks up in confusion to meet the eyes of some random party guest. Probably a friend of Lucy's father. "Sir?"

"No princess should have to pull out her own chair! Please, allow me." The man says and he pulls out the chair, and Lucy has no choice but to sit in the chair. She contains a sigh as her butt hits the velvet of the seat and she lifts her feet off the ground as the man scoots her in. He bows lowly as a sign of respect, and Lucy nods back with a small smile, while on the inside she wanted to beat him, _God, can't even pull out your own chair here. Can you ever be independent? _She turns her head to look at her father and she says, "So, when are we gonna get this show on the road? Where's the band? Where's the giant feast? C'mon, dad, I'm dyin' here!" She groans yet still with a playful smile on her face.

Jude Heartplilia smiles at his daughter, "Calm yourself. You're present will be here soon."

Lucy can't help but nod vigorously, "Really? What'd you get me? C'mon, dad you can tell me!"

The King laughs loudly, drawing attention to the pair, "No, you'll just have to wait, my dear! Hey, bring out the feast, we're all starving!"

Lucy laughs along with her father as large platters filled with different assortments of meats and grains are carried out by butlers and other servants. She stares in awe as a giant turkey is set down directly in front of her father and her, and she can't help but clap her hands wildly in excitement.

"Let's dig in!" King Jude exclaims.

"Aye, sir!" Lucy cheers before helping herself to the turkey.

OoOoOoO

Later, after their bellies were stuffed and their belts a bit tighter, all the guests gather up near Lucy's side of the table, where she took her father's spot at the head of the table. She grins broadly as a giant cake is set in front of her. It was strawberry flavored, which makes Lucy giggle, "Oh Erza! It's perfect!"

The scarlet haired chef nods her head and smiles broadly at her friend and mistress, "Thank you, my Lady. I hope you enjoy it to its fullest!" She bows the informal bow with her hand over her heart, and Lucy in turn bows the same to her. This causes many hushed whispers among the crowd behind her.

_"She's friends with the cook?"_

_"With the help?"_

_"How distasteful!"_

Anger burns through her and Lucy finds herself shaking, "Father let's just get this over with."

At the sound of his daughter's barely controlled tone, King Jude's eyes go wide and he says loudly, "Okay, on with the cake! Blow out the candles, my dear!"

_Aren't we supposed to sing some song? Oh well..._ Lucy thought to herself before shrugging and taking a huge breath of air. She puffs out her cheeks adorably before finally letting the air loose and blowing out the lit candles in one gust of carbon dioxide. The candles cease their glow and the crowd behind her cheers joyfully, clapping and celebrating. A small smile comes to the birthday girl's lips and it grows when her father places a hand on her shoulder.

"Congrats, Lucy, you are now officially an 18 year old princess." He laughs heartily and Lucy joins in, putting her own hand over his.

"Thanks, dad...now about that present..."

King Jude laughs loudly, "You sure do move fast, my dear! Hold on a second, I shall fetch it for you!" He walks off to go 'fetch the present', leaving Lucy to her own thoughts. Many people come up to her to congratulate her on her new age, others tell corny jokes that Lucy has no choice but to laugh at, and others just bow and compliment her before strutting off somewhere-probably to get drunk. She liked the latter the most, for they were quick and easy, while as the jokes and greetings seemed to last forever.

Finally, just when Lucy thought she was going to go insane, two pairs of arms grabbed her and twirled her around and led her away from an especially annoying fellow who kept bragging about how his yacht was _just so perfect_.

"Sorry, sir, but her Royal Highness is needed elsewhere!" She recognizes the sleek voice of Loke and she feels relief flood through her system. _Oh thank God above for Loke._

"H-h-have a g-g-g-good night!" The stutter of Aries is like music to Lucy's ears and she smiles hugely at her friends.

"Oh thank you two! I was about to die!" Lucy mutters as she begins to walk with them, arm in arm with both Loke and Aries. She giggles as Loke smirks at her.

"You looked like you were going through a fate worse then death, so Aries and I just had to save you. C'mon, Erza and Wendy are waiting near the kitchen." Loke says as he leads both her and Aries towards the kitchen doors. Lucy looks up and her eyes connect with both Erza's and Wendy's, and she feels a blissful smile come to her face. _Finally, something fun to do!_

OoOoOoO

After about an hour of socializing with her best friends, Lucy was once again dragged away by none other than her father, who was all excited about something. "D-dad!"

"I got your present Lucy! Took some time, but I finally managed to get it in its cage!" King Jude says in his gruff voice while sitting Lucy down at the head of the table again. _Wait, cage?!_ She thought to herself as she looks over at her friends, who were watching her with amused grins. She shrugs apologetically at them before her attention is focused to a large open space near the right side of the ballroom. Her father is standing there with a big smile, "Now, everyone!" He claps loudly and it echoes throughout the the ballroom, drawing the attention of the guests. Lucy watches in anticipation.

"It is time for my present to my beautiful, amazing daughter Lucy Heartpilia, who makes life worth living for me. I love you, honey, and I pray you enjoy your gift!" He says in his boisterious voice.

Lucy smiles sweetly with tears in her eyes, clasping her hands in front of her mouth, "Oh thank you, daddy!" She hasn't called her father 'daddy' since her mother had died, but that's a different story for a different time.

King Jude smiles broadly and nods, "Well, here you are, your present, my dear!" He gestures behind him and immediately she can hear sounds of wheels squeaking. What came next was something no one was prepared for.

His gorgeous crimson scales sparkle in the bright lights of the ballroom, and his magnificent onyx eyes pierce the crowd. His pearly white fangs bare threateningly towards the crowd, causing everyone to either scream, shrink back in terror, or both, but all Lucy could do is stare in awe at the brilliant beast before her.

It was the Dragon from earlier, Emperor Igneel's son.

**OoOoOoO**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter of TDT! See-ya!**

**REVEW!**

**PREVIEW:**

_"So he's my pet now?"_

_"Hey, I'm Natsu!"_

_"W-W-WHY ARE YOU NAKED?!"_


	3. The Tamer, Exposed

**How is everyone? How are you, Jack? Ha-ha, whoever is named Jack is probably amazed right now! XD lol, wow I'm so pumped up for The Dragon Tamer! I'm really getting into this story! I already have the ending planned out and everything! I'M PUMPED, SO PUMPED, SO PUMPED, PUMPED! -cough- Anywho! Onto the story! I hope you enjoy chapter three of The Dragon Tamer! Suspiciously titled****_, The Tamer, Exposed_****! LOL**

**Last time on The Dragon Tamer!**

**_"Happy birthday, Lucy!"_**

**_"Here is your present!"_**

**_"The Dragon from earlier?!"_**

**OoOoOoO**

Silence envelopes the room, and the expressions of the guests were priceless. Some mouths were open wide with terror, while others just stood there, staring and unable to comprehend the magnificent beast that stood before them. Of course, all Lucy could do is stare in awe as she took in his familiar gorgeous crimson scales, his fiery onyx eyes, his sharp, pearly white fangs...her heart sped up, her breathing just about became labored! _Why does this Dragon make me feel so...excited?_ Her heart beats faster as ever so slowly, the Dragon turns and his eyes rest on her. Immediately her body begins to heat and a shiver runs down her spine, _a-am I being turned on by a...D-Dragon?! _Even in her mind she stuttered, and she stares up into the eyes of the Dragon. He stares at her for a long minuet, still baring his brilliant fangs. Lucy stares straight back, refusing to move or break eye contact with him. After what seems like forever, the Dragon actually smirks at her and Lucy can't help but smile right back at him. She moves forward and touches the thick bars of the enormous cage that encased him, "Well, hello again." She says in what she hoped was a strong voice.

The Dragon smirks at her before leaning down so his head was at her level, "_Hey...uh...what is your name again_?"

Lucy smiles, "Well, considering I never really told you...well my name's Lucy. Well, technically, my full name is High Princes Lucy Heartphilia, but you can just call me Lucy."

"_Eh? Princess? You never told me you were a princess_!" The Dragon exclaims, making people behind Lucy shrink back in fear. Of course, Lucy already forgot about them in the face of the magnificent creature in front of her.

She giggles softly, which causes the Dragon to smirk broadly, "Well, no I did not tell you because you never asked, my friend."

The Dragon stares at her before growling out softly, "_Friend? You want a Dragon as your friend_?"

Lucy looks at him with big eyes and says sweetly, "Well of course I do! You seem really nice..." She ignores the heat that comes to her face and follows that sentence with, "And besides, apparently you were given to me as a birthday present by my father, and speak of the Devil!" She looks over as her father comes up to her and places a hand on her shoulder.

"Do you like it-"

"_Him_, father." Lucy cuts him off, tone none too happy that he dared called the Prince of Dragons an _it_.

"Sorry, do you like _him_? I thought you would with how you talked with him when you first met him!" King Jude says happily.

Lucy glances over at the Dragon to see him staring at the two of them, a dark glint in his eye. She knew she would have to choose her next words very carefully. If she answered no, she would not only hurt her father's feelings, but also seem like a spoiled brat and there is the high chance the Dragon would be killed off because 'the High Princess doesn't like it'. But, if she were to answer yes and kept the Dragon as a pet, the Dragon may be enraged and could very possibly try to kill her, but at least he was alive. Taking a deep breath, Lucy looks straight into the gorgeous onyx eyes of the Dragon and she says in a strong voice, "Thanks, father, I love him!" She looks at the Dragon with sad and regretful eyes, and he stares right back with a look of both confusion and anger. Her father gathers her in his arms, and she hides her face in his shoulder, hoping to block out the sadness she felt for claiming to own such a magnificent beast.

OoOoOoO

Later, as Lucy prepares herself for bed, her mind wanders to the Dragon that is now her own pet. He had been placed closer to the castle than the Dragon Emporium, in a special underground stable created to harbor all sorts of creatures-including Dragons. The crystal-clear water reflects her image perfectly as she slips into the large tub of hot water, sighing heavily while she does so. "I wonder if he is doing okay...perhaps I should go visit him to explain myself...God why do I even care what a Dragon thinks of me? I mean, I shouldn't..." She sighs again, this time very dramatically, "God, this is so difficult!" She exclaims before she dives under the water, feet catapulting out of the pleasant water and into the seemingly cold air. The light draft in the bathroom nips at her legs, but she couldn't care less. She blows out air underwater, causing bubbles to rise to the top. She stays under for a little while, until her lungs were practically begging for, and then she pushed her head and bare torso back out of the water. She pants heavily, clawing for the air she so desperately needed as she leans back against the cool side of the tub. She sighs once again and stretches out one leg from the water, watching droplets of liquid drip from her creamy skin. She reaches her hand over and feels up her leg, "Gosh I need to shave..."

After shaving her long, slender legs, Lucy decided it was time to get out of the water before she got too wrinkly. She pushes herself out of the tub, stepping out with ease and grace. Covering her bare breasts with her left arm, her dominant right arm reaches over to a stool positioned next to the marble tub. She grabs the fluffy white towel that was thrown carelessly onto the stool, and wraps it around her nude body. With a lovely sigh, the High Princess of Fiore walks to the entrance of her enormous and extremely expensive bathing room and opens the door. It does not squeak, and she herself does not make a sound as she treads across the fluffy pink carpet of her bed chamber. Just as she was about to disrobe, she hears a knock at the door, and a voice calls out to her, "My Lady, it is Wendy! May I come in?"

Considering that Wendy has seen her naked dozens of times before, Lucy says in a loud voice so that her best maid could hear, "Yes you may, Wendy!"

The main door to her room creaks open and in walks the gorgeous Wendy, who's beauty could easily rival Lucy's, but Lucy felt no jealousy or resentment towards her. Wendy smiles sweetly at her mistress and says in her soft voice, "Good evening, my Lady. Would you like me to assist you in dressing?"

"Not needed, Wendy. Why don't you go out and have fun?" Lucy suggests with a soft smile on her face. Neither she nor Wendy was affected by Lucy's lack in clothing, "You need the break."

Wendy's eyes go wide and she says quickly, "Oh, no, I couldn't possibly dare do that, my Lady! I have duties here to attend to and-" She is cut off by Lucy's hand coming to rest on her shoulder. She looks up to be staring into the soft, warm eyes of the generous and kind High Princess.

"Go, Wendy. Must I order you to go out and have some fun? Why don't you take Loke, Aries and Erza too? Oh and see if you can get Levy-chan to get her nose out of a book and come with you as well. She needs some time out of that dusty library!" Lucy says charmingly, obviously amused by Wendy's statement.

Wendy stares at the young maiden for a moment longer before smiling hugely and exclaiming, "Oh thank you, my Lady! You're too kind to me!"

Lucy smiles and gives Wendy a quick hug before turning the maid around and pushing her towards the door, "Yes, yes, I am amazing! Now off you go! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

"But that means I won't be able to do anything, my Lady! You are too cautious!" Wendy says, letting Lucy steer her out the door.

Lucy rolls her big brown eyes, "Oh whatever, I would so...drink...one...beer...maybe. Anyway! Have fun."

Wendy giggles before turning and bowing to her towel-clad mistress, "Thank you, my Lady! I will see you in the morning! Do not hesitate to send someone to come get me if you require my assistance!"

Lucy smiles at her friend, "Of course!" And just like that, Wendy takes off down the hallway, leaving Lucy alone in the doorway, wearing nothing but the flimsy, fluffy white towel. Just now realizing how little clothing she was wearing, she squeaks and quickly runs back into her room, slamming the door shut behind her. Sighing heavily while leaning against the door, she looks up into her white ceiling, thoughts being dragged back to the Dragon. _I really should go visit him..._ She thought to herself before pushing herself off the door and walking into her room, removing the towel as she went. She reaches for the nightgown Wendy had laid out earlier for Lucy and throws it on over her head, loving the way it was so soft on her tender skin. She glances at herself in the mirror, staring for a moment, before she sticks out her tongue at her reflection, "God, you look like a total grandma!" She says to herself before giggling softly. She turns on her heel and begins to trot over to her large king-size bed which could easily fit more then one person. **[A/N: Foreshadowing much?]**

But just as she was about to rest in her bed, she is stopped by a glorious sight to the right of her. Her eyes widen and she whispers in a breathy voice, "Such a beautiful sunset..." She turns away from her bed and walks towards the crepuscular light in a trance. Different shades of orange and purple decorate the sky, all leading up to the gorgeous ball of orangish yellow light that was the sun. She narrows her eyes in pleasure as she opens the glass doors to her stone patio. She walks across the tiny patio to the ledge, leaning over it and putting her head in her right hand. She sighs in a bemused manner and stares at it, "Sunset...I can't believe it's just starting and it's 9 p.m.! Summer sure is a mystery..." She smiles softly and stares not directly into the sun, but more just at it and the clouds around it. She stared at it until it finally sets, and she notices how cold it has become outside. With a soft sight, she lifts herself off the edge and goes back inside her room, closing the glass doors behind her. She turns back towards the glass doors and pulls the curtains together, blocking out the world's view to her bed chamber.

Lucy lays her head down onto the thick, pink pillow, sighing softly. She felt so comfortable..._just close your eyes, Lucy, and sleep won't be far behind..._She thought to herself as she shuts her big, doe-like eyes. She sighs once again and clings to her fluffy, pink comforter. She really did love the color pink...

OoOoOoO

_What the Hell was that? _Lucy thought to herself. She hadn't been asleep five minutes before she was woken to the sound of creaking hinges. She goes perfectly still, eyes wide with fear, _oh God, is it a assassin? Or maybe a theif? Shit, what do I do? Where are my keys? The dresser, right? Yeah, but shit..._ She glances over at her dresser, which was a good five meters away. If there truly was someone in here, they would reach her before she could get four meters to it! _Just pretend you're asleep...then you can get the jump on 'em! _Soft footsteps echo in her ears and she finds her breathing is becoming labored from the obvious fear she is feeling. As the footsteps get closer and closer, her breathing becomes more and more erratic as the terror inside of her increases. Her fingers tighten around the pink blanket so firmly her knuckles turned white and she slowly turns her head towards the source of the noise-her patio.

She screeches loudly as her eyes rest onto the large shadow of a man. He lunges forward, taking Lucy by surprise, and covers up her mouth with his large hand. He presses her head into her pillow, and tears pop into her eyes. The dim light of the moon casts into the room through the now open curtains of her patio doors, illuminating the man near her, from his bright salmon hair to his striking onyx eyes that seemed somewhat familiar...

And the fact that he was naked.

She screeches into his hand and begins to struggle, but she is not match to his brute strength, "Hey, calm down! I ain't gonna hurt 'cha." His tone was surprisingly familiar as well. The deepness of his voice, the arrogance that came with it..._The Dragon had the same voice! What the Hell is going on here!_ She thought to herself as she stops struggling and stares up into his onyx eyes. "See? Now I'm gonna take my hand from your mouth, please don't scream, Luigi!"

_Luigi? Who the Hell is Luigi?! _She thought to herself, and she nods to show she understands. Slowly, the man brings away his hand, leaving Lucy with some siliva on her chin, which she quickly wipes away. She stares at his with big, terrified eyes and she says in a small voice, "W-who are you? W-who's 'Luigi'?"

The intruder cocks his head to the side and says, "Ain't you Luigi, Luigi?"

Instantly Lucy feels anger in her and she reaches up and thumps the guy on the head with her thumb, "Idiot, my name's Lucy!"

He rubs the spot she hit and pouts, "Yeesh, sorry! I wasn't really paying all that attention when you told me your name." He sits back and away from her, giving her space.

Lucy stares at him a moment longer, before her face suddenly explodes with red, "_W-WHY ARE YOU NAKED_?!" She exclaims, turning away and covering up her eyes with her hands.

The man cocks his head to the side again before looking down, "Yeah, this always happens whenever I transform. Dragons don't wear clothing, you know."

Lucy refuses to even take a peak at him, "W-what? I know that! But you ain't a Dragon, s-s-so y-you should have clothes on! What man wouldn't wear clothing around a lady he doesn't know?! Have you no modesty?" She exlaims.

"I am a Dragon. Don't you recongize me, Lucy? Well, you probably can't in this form..."

"Wait," She turns slightly, yet still doesn't look at him, "you said something about transforming. What do you mean?" Her tone is no longer horrified, more curious.

The man looks at her, she could feel his gaze boring into the side of her face, "I'm that Dragon from earlier, yet now I'm a human...well, I still ain't no human, but I look like one, with a few minor differences. I'm the Dragon your old man gave to you, which I still haven't forgiven you about yet!" He growls the last part, obviously angry.

Lucy glances at him to see that he covered up his private area with her blanket, and she breaths out a sigh of relief. She fully looks at him and says slowly, "S-so you're Emperor Igneel's son? The Dragon from earlier?"

He nods vigorusly.

"Okay," She says, still doubting this random man, "what's your name then?"

The man grins at her, showing especially sharp canines, both top row and bottom row, "My name's Natsu Dragneel!"

Lucy looks at this 'Natsu' before sighing heavily and saying, "Okay, I am not saying I believe you, but I will for now."

"Don't worry, come morning I can show you that I'm that Dragon from earlier! Hey, do you have any food around here? I'm starved!" He stands up again, revealing his backside to Lucy. The girl screeches and covers her eyes up with her hands once again. Natsu looks at her with a weirded-out look and says, "What?"

"Y-y-you're n-n-naked!" Lucy stutters out.

Natsu glances down, "Oh right, you mortals are effected by nudity. I never thought the human body to be that special. But if it'll make you feel better...got any clothes that'll fit me?" His tone sounds bored and he sighs heavily as if clothes were a burden to him.

Lucy, still rejecting the urge to look at him, growls out, "Of course not! And stop acting so coolly about this, you cur!"

"Cur?"

"Shut up! I've been influenced by my father!"

"FIne, then I guess I'll just have to sneak into his room to get some clothes."

"Eh?" If she uncovered her eyes, Natsu would be able to see that they were wide as dinner plates, "Y-you can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"B-because, he's got top-notch security in there! Y-you'll be caught and killed on the spot! My dad's serious about keeping both himself and myself safe-"

"Oh really? And if it is so safe, why was I able to get in here so easily?"

Wow, good point. _Come up with something quick, Lucy! _Lucy scowls behind her hands and says sharply, "Because you must have superhuman abilities because you're half-Dragon or whatever the fuck you are."

"Wow," Natsu says amused, "such a dirty mouth for such a polite lady! Things aren't always what they seem, eh? Ha-ha!" He chuckles to himself and puts his hands behind his head, "Well, I'm off to go steal some clothing from your padre!" And just like that, he was gone, leaving nothing but a confused Lucy and a slight breeze in his wake.

Lucy peers through her hands and stares at the spot Natsu was just in. A million and one thoughts were racing through his head, but one thing was certain.

_The Dragon who made my heart race and legs jelly can turn into a human boy a night. Great._

**OoOoOoO**

**Har-de-har-har! I hope you loved this chapter!**

**REVIEW!**

**PREVIEW:**

_"Woah, you were right!"_

_"ERZA DON'T KILL HIM!"_

_"It's not my fault I'm naked when I transform!"_

**Thanks for reading!**

**PARADISE.x**


	4. The Tamer, Promising

**Hey everyone and welcome to The Dragon Tamer chapter 4! I just realized...I NEVER WISHED YOU ALL A HAPPY NEW YEARS! -sobs- I'm so sorry! Gomen nasai! Gomen, gomen, gomen! -sobs- Anywho, HAPPY NEW YEARS! Say bye-bye to 2012 and hello to 2013! **

**Also, some reviewers have been telling me that I am spelling Lucy's last name wrong. I know this perfectly well, it is just I believe it looks better this way, and more fancy-like, and more princess-last-name worthy. The same for my other stories. I just think it looks far better than 'Heartfillia'. If you don't like it...why don't you just ignore it?**

**AND OMFGOMFGOMFGOMFG! GAJEEL'S NEW FORM IS AWESOME! Spoiler alert for anyone who isn't completely caught up to date with Fairy Tail! When Gajeel eats Rouge's alter ego's shadows I was all like OMFG BRO! Gajeel is my 2****nd**** favorite boy character-the first forever being Natsu-and just OH MY FUCKING GOD! I just about peed myself! He's all like, "**_**I'll help you remember that fear.**_**" And I was like HOLY SHIT ROUGE YOU BETTER RUN NOW! Sigh….I love Gajeel…**

**Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Last time on The Dragon Tamer:**

_**"W-WHY ARE YOU NAKED?!"**_

_**"I'm Natsu!"**_

_**"I'm going to find clothes in your dad's room!"**_

_**'The Dragon who made my heart race and my legs feel like jelly can turn into a human boy at night. Great.'**_

**OoOoOoO**

"What took you so long? You're a Dragon, right; couldn't you have sniffed him out or something?" Lucy fumes, staring at the boy who was wearing to big pants that kept sagging and a loose white, button-up shirt that was open, giving her a view of his perfectly-toned abs. _Keep your eyes off that piece of candy! _She jokes in her mind.

Natsu shrugs and crosses his arms behind his head in a bored manner, "I wanted to look around! You've got some big rooms here!" He says loudly, completely forgetting that he had to be quiet.

"_Shhhhh_! Shut up!" Lucy hisses, waving her hands in front of his face, "You have to be quiet…if someone catches you…" She runs her thumb across her neck to prove her point.

Natsu simply chuckles, "You humans couldn't kill me if you tried! Only DragonSlayers can kill Dragons, and the last one died a thousand years ago against my father." He scoffs again.

"Yeah, well I don't want you killing anybody here!" Lucy snaps, chocolate eyes flashing dangerously, "And besides, I know how to handle Dragons." She smirks broadly and winks at him almost flirtatiously, "I'm a Dragon Tamer, remember?"

His eyes snap to her's as he says, "Yeah, I know." His tone is dark and almost angry sounding, "We Dragons have heard of you and your little 'Dragon Masters'. We aren't particularly worried about them, only you."

Now that came as a surprise to the blonde. Lucy's eyes widen as she says softly, "You've heard of me?"

"Not by name, no. We've only heard rumors of a special girl who could talk to Dragons. At first my father wanted to kill you." Natsu says quite bluntly with a bored look on his face.

The High Princess of Fiore gasps and sits up straight on her bed-she had been lounging against a wooden bead post. If possible her eyes go wider and she says, "The great Emperor Igneel wants me dead? Oh this is not good…" She brings a hand to her head as if it ached and sighs heavily. "If he even tries at me, my father's army will immediately retaliate, start a war even! A war that the humans will surely loose…"

"Now, now, don't start freaking out on me!" Natsu exclaims before earning a dirty look from the young woman that effectively makes him lower his voice, "I said '_at first_'! Now my father is more interested in what makes you so special. I wouldn't be surprised if he sends someone to kidnap you."

"You're his son that happened to be 'banished';" she bends her fingers to show quotation marks, "what makes you think I won't assume he sent you after me?" She fixes him with a suspicious glare.

He stares right back at her before saying, "Because I would have already kidnapped you by now. Hell, I would have gotten you back in that place they store Dragons if that was the case! Use your noggin, Luce!" He smirks as he reaches over and ruffles up her already messy hair adorably.

She practically growls at him, "Don't touch my hair! You'll mess it all up!"

"It was already messy!"

"So? I don't want it even messier!"

"You're so weird!"

"You're so mean!"

"Weirdo!"

"Jerk!"

They were in each other's faces now, both wearing matching angry scowls. Lucy narrows her eyes dangerously and pokes him roughly in the chest, "Look here, Dragon-Boy! I am the Princess of Fiore and a lowly exiled prince will not speak to me this way!"

Natsu's eyes widen slightly before he snarls back, almost like an animal, "Ah, I see, you aren't used to people talking back to you! I can see through your charade, you're only nice if people do as you say! You're calling _me_ low?"

"I will have you sentenced to death!" Lucy wails, suddenly raising her clenched right fist up. She swings it at his face, but her position was strange, making it sail slower than normal through the air.

Natsu rises up his own hand and stops her feeble punch with extraordinary ease, "What a girlie punch! You expect me to bow down to you when you can't even punch correctly?" He holds on tightly to her hand-his hand was so much larger than her's…it kind of scared her.

_This man could easily hurt me if I continue this way…he makes me feel so powerless! _Lucy's mind screams and she hurriedly tries to rip her fist away from him but he holds on tightly, refusing to let go. As she continues trying, her frustration rises to the boiling point, "Let go of me you bastard!" She hisses and her face turns a dark scarlet from her fury. Suddenly the room is too hot, her nightgown too constricting. She lets out a distressed cry and tugs her hand again, failing at loosening his grip, "Let go!"

He suddenly pulls her by her wrist and drags her forward, dropping her wrist in favor of her shoulders. He brings his face close to her's, "Calm down, I am sorry for what I said."

Lucy whips her head from side to side, "No you don't. You have seconds to let go of me before I call for Erza!"

Natsu cocks his head to the side, "What's an 'Erza'?"

"Not _what_, _who_! Erza is my personal chef! She is also head of security and the greatest swordswoman and Requip mage you'll ever meet! She'll grind your bones to dust and all I have to do is give the order!" She growls out at him. Okay, maybe she was being a bit harsh. She wasn't acting like her normal easy-going self and she didn't know why she wasn't. All she knew was that this man made her feel powerless and she wanted it to stop! So she'll screech every foul name she knows and demand for her servants to come and rescue her!

….but isn't that what has made her so weak in the first place? She is so used to being surrounded by people who would die for her, people who were there to protect her. Sure she was an excellent Dragon Tamer, but did she really have any other skills? No…her servants were to blame for everything she's achieved in life. Leo escorted her _everywhere_, Wendy dressed her every morning, Aries makes all her clothing, Erza cooks all her food…has Lucy even picked up a needle and thread all her life? Has she even touched a sword? No, she hasn't done anything normal people do. She hasn't once cooked for herself, she hasn't once mended her own clothing-not to mention _washed_ her clothing-, she barely ever walks anywhere without a highly trained guard by her side that was willing to die for her…was Lucy truly a useless creature made for pampering and to be married off to some rich fellow to make peace with other nations? She didn't want to be that, she wanted more of a meaning out of life!

And maybe, just maybe, this 'Dragon-Boy' could help her achieve that.

But it was too late now to go back for she had already screeched Erza's name, so loudly it almost deafened the poor man who was still grasping her shoulders. He winces and lets go of her to rub his ears, "God damn, Luce! That hurt really badly! You can't punch, but you sure can deafen anyone who tries to harm you!" He wouldn't be surprised if he began to bleed from the ears!

_Bang!_ The large doors to Lucy's suite burst open horrifically loudly, revealing a tall scarlet-haired woman. She is wearing large yet skin tight armor that glinted dangerously in the moonlight that escaped into the room through the large open window. Her deep, dark brown eyes narrow dangerously and her upper lip curves into a feral snarl, "Step away from my Princess!"

Natsu cocks his head to the side but smartly lets go of Lucy's shoulders. He makes eye-contact with the other woman and says, "Who're you?"

"Erza!" Lucy pipes up with a shocked expression, _why is she-oh, stupid you called her without thinking! She's going to kill Natsu! _She shrieks in her mind before her attention is drawn by Natsu's voice. She looks at him and with an apologetic look she says, "I would run…"

Natsu glances at her in surprise, "Eh? Why? Who's Erza? How'd she get here so fast! You just called her!"

Lucy chuckles nervously and Erza Scarlet speaks up with her dominant drawl, "I happened to be making my rounds when I heard my Princess scream for me." She bends at her knees into a defensive and very intimidating position, hand going to the long blade at her waist. Her fist encloses around the engraved handle and she says darkly, "I shall exterminate you with the very blade my Princess gave to me. Be prepared, stranger for I shall not hold back." With a deadly _shing!_ of her blade being pulled from its sheath Erza tightens her grip on the handle, bringing up her other hand to grasp it as well.

"Um…Erza…" Lucy murmurs but her voice is drowned out by Natsu's flamboyant and overly excited shout of, "Okay, bring it! I've been wanting to battle with a swordsman for a long time now!"

"Your wish shall be granted…" Erza mutters before suddenly she is directly in front of Natsu, bringing up the blunt end of her handle and smashing it into his face. The poor lad goes flying straight for one of the large walls. He doesn't go through it, Erza didn't hit him hard enough, but he does make quite the impression.

"_E-ERZA DON'T KILL HIM!_" Lucy wails but it is ignored.

Forcing himself out of the Natsu-sized hole in the wall, he clutches his head with one of his calloused hands and says with a dazed impression, "Damn! That hurt!" Blood trickles down his face from a cut on his forehead but he quickly shakes that off and looks at the swordswoman with bright onyx eyes, "Nice one! My turn!"

That's when his fists catch on fire.

The brilliant blaze casts a shadow across the room and Lucy gasps in surprise, "Woah!" She breathes out, leaning _towards_ the boy and his ignited hands. Her beautiful brown eyes go wide and she squeals, "That's…so…cool~! So in your human form you can control fire as well! That's amazing!" She was practically gushing and she didn't even care. She thought this was extraordinary!

Erza is instantly in front of her, blocking her from Natsu and his open flames, "Stay back, Lucy!" She hisses, "This man is dangerous, did you not call for me to deal with him? Do you know who he is? And what do you mean by 'human form'?" This woman picked up on everything!

"Yeah, uh, about that…this is actually-" Lucy begins but once again she is cut off by Natsu. She narrows her gorgeous brown eyes at him yet says nothing.

"I'm Natsu Dragneel and I'm-" His flames are gone as quickly as they come and suddenly he is behind both Erza and Lucy, and his well toned arm swings around the latter, "Luce's new pet!" He grins a giant grin and completely ignores the bashful stutters of the girl pressed up against his side.

Erza stares for a moment, her brown eyes-that were so cold and determined a moment before-were wide with surprise and curiosity. She takes them in, her eyes lingering on were the crook of his elbow enclosed Lucy's almost bony shoulder.

"You…" Lucy growls out, catching Natsu by surprise and she rips away from him, fuming, "Don't go around spewing lies!"

"Spewing?"

"Shut up! I've been influence by my father!" _Where have I heard that before?_ "Anyway, don't tell Erza such crazy nonsense! You aren't my pet; don't think of yourself that way!" A faint blush still colors her cheeks from when Natsu surprised her by slinging his arm across her shoulders. She crosses her arms across her busty chest and says, "You're a member of the Royal Dragon Family, first-born and only child of the great Emperor Igneel, next in line for the throne…you're higher than any human, so there's no way you're my pet…."

Erza's eyes snap back up to Natsu's and she says in her demanding tone, "_You're_ Prince Dragneel?!" Underneath her gruff tone is one of disbelief and she takes him in from head to toe.

Feeling rather frightened and scrutinized under her glare, Natsu inches behind Lucy, "Well, make that _banished_ member of the Royal Dragon Family, _banished_ first-born and _disappointing_ only child of the 'great' Emperor Igneel, and _banished_ from being next in line for the throne. I am like any normal human being now. A commoner, Hell even lower than that!" He ends that statement with a loud chuckle and another huge grin.

"So…before you get another step closer to my Princess…" Erza begins and she moves forward, getting very near Natsu and successfully making him uncomfortable again, "Just what did you do to be banished from your home land? You might want to tell me…" A devious smirk comes to her gorgeous face and she says in an almost cheerful tone, "You know how women jump to all _sorts_ of conclusions! I certainly don't want a serial rapist near my Princess!"

Natsu's eyes widen and he gasps lowly, "B-but..."

"I'm waiting…"

"Fine! Fine, I will tell you!" Natsu wails before looking at Lucy, "Damn this beast of a woman scares the living shit out of me!" He adds on in a low voice that makes the woman giggle. He practically beams at this. Already he loved the sound of Lucy's laugh and voice. He runs a hand through his spiky salmon hair and says in an almost _pouty_ voice, "Stupid reason, really, I refused to marry some chick to 'continue the Dragneel line' as my father put it. He was real pissed when I told him to fuck off." He crosses his arms across his chest, "Stupid Dragon immediately said that I was unfit to rule a kingdom since I didn't make sacrifices like he did. Well, hardly any sacrifices! My grandpa was very lenient when it came to shit like marriage and Igneel got to marry a girl he was in love with! I didn't even know the woman!"

Lucy can't help but giggle at the man's complaining. She pats him on the shoulder, "I have a situation similar to yours…but my dad isn't about to just banish me. He says if I don't find someone I want to marry in a year, then he's gonna marry me off to some rich prince. I know what you're going through…well except for the banishment part!" Her tone was cheerful and she didn't feel as bitchy as earlier. She had still no idea why she acted that way with him, and after hearing his story, she felt really bad about it. This man had surprised her, is all, with his lack of modesty and shame. He had not been afraid to touch her as most men are [pardoning her male Celestial Spirits and her father, of course], even went so far as to _grab_ her! Now no one has done that before in fear of someone taking it the wrong way and being punished by death. It intimidated Lucy that he wasn't frightened of her status so she got a little carried away. She does that when she's angry or scared…she gets very violent and loud.

Natsu looks at her, "Really? Well at least you have a year…I was told about my problem a month ago on the same day of my banishment. You might find someone by the end, at least someone you can stand to be around." He shrugs as if it couldn't possibly matter.

Lucy rolls her eyes yet smiles as Erza stretches her limbs with a tired look on her face, "God I am tired."

The High Princess of Fiore smiles at her life-long friend as says cheerfully, "Go ahead and go to bed, my friend. There has been enough excitement tonight!" At Erza's weary look at Natsu Lucy simply scoffs, "He won't hurt me. If he tries I'll run a saber through him!" She chuckles humorously at Natsu's surprised look.

Erza dips down into the familiar friendly bow, one armor-clad hand over her armor-clad heart, and says swiftly, "As you wish, my Lady, I shall trouble you no longer." She turns on her heel and walks quickly away, delivering a curt nod in Natsu's general direction. Lucy and Natsu stay perfectly still as they listen to the sounds of her footsteps get fainter and fainter and watch her full head of scarlet hair disappear into the darkness of the ajar door of the Princess's room.

At the last moment Lucy suddenly remembers something and she hurriedly leaves Natsu's side. She runs after Erza and manages to catch her just before she enters the hallway. Erza looks to her in confusion and Lucy offers her a tiny smile, "Hey, I have a question."

Shadows block Lucy from seeing Erza's expression but she does hear the swordswoman's friendly, "Yes, my Lady?"

"Why didn't you question Natsu when he said he was Prince Dragneel?" Lucy inquires with curious brown eyes. She had such beautiful eyes.

Erza's teeth glint in the faint light of an ignited torch a little ways down the hall as she smiles broadly, "I simply had a feeling that new Dragon was special." And with that she is gone, leaving Lucy to stand alone in the doorway to her room. Well, not really alone for long for in the next moment she feels a warm presence behind her and she turns her head and angles it up to be staring into gorgeous onyx eyes that just about took her breath away.

Natsu smirks hugely at her, "That was exciting!"

A soft giggle escapes the blonde's plump, pink lips that cause the boy in front of her's smirk to broaden immensely. She gestures for the two to enter her room again and he complies, cheerfully striding inside. Once they are in her room Lucy turns on her heel and softly shuts the large doors. They close with a tiny _thud_ like sound and she finds herself grinning, "Yes, quite!"

She hears a playful chuckle behind her and she turns to look at the boy. He had a grip on the large pants he had swiped from her father, "They won't stay up!"

Rolling her brown eyes at his hopeless endeavor, Lucy scoffs loudly and says, "In the morning I shall buy you clothes from the market place. Until then you should-" She is cut off by a sudden wave of exhaustion. Her jaws spread out wide as she lets out a large and bellowing yawn and once she stops there are tiny tears in her eyes. She reaches up and rubs them and sleep away but that only seems to make her even more tired. She gives out a tinier yawn and she says in a much more subdued voice, "-wear a belt…"

Suddenly hands enclose around her shoulders and warmth spreads throughout her entire body. Her tired brown eyes widen slightly as she makes eye contact with Natsu. Milk chocolate meets ebony onyx and he smiles softly at her, flashing four large fangs at her, two on the top row and two on the bottom. She watches those fangs move as he shapes his mouth to form his next words, "You're tired, Luce."

"N-no…I wanna stay up with you…" This is what she wanted but her body screamed otherwise. Her limbs felt like lead, and her head was fuzzy with exhaustion. The warmth his hands gave off was really overcoming her making her feel even sleepier. Her eyelids droop yet she offers him a tiny smile, "Sorry…I'm real tired…"

"You had a busy day. Go ahead and lay down." He leads her over to her four-poster bed and she finds herself gratefully collapsing onto her ruffled pink comforter and sheets. He helps her under the thick blanket and even tucks her in with a small smile, "Comfortable?" She gives him a faint nod, just about gone. "Good." His voice…so soothing…it weighed on Lucy's ears and added onto her feebleness. She just met him yet she trusted him enough to fall asleep around him? Well, he slept in her presence earlier in the Dragon Emporium, so she was just returning the mutual bond.

Suddenly he is leaving, moving slowly away from her bedside. Before she even knows what she is doing she frantically latches onto his hand that swung back. He stops instantly and glances back at her with huge onyx eyes, "Yes?"

"D-don't leave…" She murmurs, knowing that his acute ears would be able to pick it up.

"Got to, Luce. The sun will be up soon." Came his muffled reply and she realizes she was falling quicker into the murkiness of sleep.

"Then…promise me you'll come back tomorrow…please…"

She doesn't notice the slow smile that comes to his handsome face due to her foggy vision. She could only see a shadow of him now. A hand comes to her forehead and warmth instantly returns to her body, calming her with ease. She sighs dreamily as she hears his sweet voice, "_I promise._"

With that in mind Lucy allows the longing of sleep to drag her under.

**OoOoOoO**

**Did you enjoy the ending? I got really tired while writing it! I yawned five times XD Well, that was some sweet NaLu and I hoped you all loved it!**

**REVIEW!**

**PREVIEW!**

"_There were sounds from your bed chamber last night."_

"_I lost something precious to me. Could you get it, Luce?"_

"_Hey, girlie! I'm Cana, want a drink?"_

**See you next chapter! Next on the update list: Circus de Fairy Tail or Gone Away**

**PARADISE.x**


	5. The Tamer, Apologetic

**Hey you all and welcome to The Dragon Tamer chapter five! You all have been waiting for this for awhile, haven't you?**

**Well, something has happened…I am sorry to inform you that I have discontinued The Devil's Associate. I just couldn't go anywhere with it…absolutely **_**nowhere**_**. Everything I wrote down was stupid and you guys don't deserve stupid, you deserve the best I can create! So I set it up for adoption, and bitofawriter10 has adopted it! Please support her writing as you have supported mine, her writing style is very good and will keep you on your toes! I enjoyed greatly reading the sample she sent me. Thanks for understanding!**

**Onto the chapter of a story I have decided to keep.**

**OoOoOoO**

She blinks furiously, trying to keep sleep at bay. This was all _just so boring_! The tutor drags on and on about some war in history that she couldn't care less about. Why worry about the past when there were plenty of problems in the present? There were some things in the world the High Princess of Fiore will never understand. She plays around with her quill, taking in its white and black design with bored brown eyes. Her head was at rest on an open book still shining with new ink, yet Lucy did not notice this. She suppresses a sigh, not wanting to insult Master Marcov in the middle of his speech about something called 'The Great War of X77'. She glances at the sundial in the window and huffs. She still had two hours of her classes and she knew that math would be next. She absolutely hated math, but hey, at least it was the same in every country so she wouldn't have to learn yet _another_ foreign language!

"…and so the opposing army listed the help of a nearby ally, thereby destroying Fiore's first fleet of mages. Fortunately the cavalry High King Frances had called for had come by the time the army got to Magnolia Kingdom, and they assisted our forces in successfully taking down their army and winning the war…" Master Marcov says in that funny little voice of his. She ends up getting caught up in what he was wearing. He always wore such strange clothing! He had a freaky hat, and the strangest cape; in his hand was a long wooden staff decorated with etched in runes. He always had that with him and Lucy wonders faintly on why. "Do you understand Lucy?"

Hm? Did somebody say something? Lucy was still staring at Master's clothing choice, taking in the noble colors of purples and reds alike. Lucy herself was dressed quite informally, with her loose trousers made for stable boys and a shirt to match. She always hated the tight dresses and corsets her father liked her to wear and had asked some boys who helped out around the castle to lend her some clothing. They were more than willing to assist her and many were blushing fiercely at the fact that she had even looked at them more or less talked to them. Now she had a dozen pairs of trousers and shirts on her bed in her sleeping chambers, all folded perfectly and carrying the comforting scent-at least to her-of wood. She smiles wistfully to herself and her eyes go back to surveying the quill.

Suddenly a large crash is heard and Lucy shoots straight up, brown eyes wide with surprise. She looks around to see that Master Marcov had dropped a large book on her desk to wake her from her daydream. He was currently scowling at her, his surprisingly big eyes narrowed in anger, "Lucy, you cannot afford to be dozing in class! You father doesn't pay me for nothing! Now pay attention and if I catch you dilly-dallying again the book will go on your head, got that brat?" He exclaims. There was nothing he hated more than when Lucy did not pay attention when he was lecturing. Now you might think that a princess would have a man hanged or even beheaded for speaking to her that way, but not Lucy. She had nothing but respect for the old man, even though she did zone out during his tutoring, and she knew he had good reason for yelling at her. Besides, it was just in his nature to be rough and she understood that-sometimes even she had to be rough.

"O-oh! Sorry, Master Marcov! Won't happen again, I swear it!" The princess exclaims and with a determined facial expression she squares her shoulders. She didn't even know that along the side of her face there was fresh black ink that smudged off onto her face. They even formed words! Of course Master Marcov begins to chuckle at this making Lucy cock her head in confusion, "What?"

He continues to chuckle and simply says, "Just deserves. Now, back to studying!"

Lucy groans loudly and looks back at the page she had been writing notes on before she quickly lost interest and had thought of other things. Why were words she had just written smeared? Realization hits her and she scowls, "Master…" She growls out lowly.

The man turns and says in his cheerful old man voice, "Yes, Lucy-chan?" He freezes as he notices the menacing aura Lucy gave off.

"It seems like I have ink on my face…I wonder why you wouldn't tell me first hand."

"Uh…class dismissed! Your homework is to read a passage from the historical textbooks and write a paper on it. You can get them from Levy-chan in the library. G-good bye, see you tomorrow!" And just like that Master escapes out the door before Lucy could get her claws on him, leaving her in the stuffy study room with black words smeared on her cheek. She huffs in annoyance and thanks the heavens above that her golden hair was pulled back into a high ponytail. She leaves the ink on the page to dry, she didn't even want to _bother_ trying to read and repair the blotted out words, and exits out the narrow wooden doorframe. She empties into a long and normal looking hallway-well compared to the rest of the castle it was 'normal' looking. It had simple yet elegant designs of tiny little ships along the banner of the hall, and the walls were painted a gorgeous color of dark blue, the floors wooden. Her steps make tiny sounds as she walks down the darkly lit hallway and she could just make out the noises of servants behind doors that surrounded her on both side. She is headed towards the rickety spiral staircase that leads down to another hallway and that hallway lead to another hallway, then another hallway and so on and so forth. There were a lot of hallways in the old castle and she was positive she hadn't even traveled all of them yet, even though she has lived here all her life.

As she comes to the bottom of the spiraling staircase her thoughts return for the umpteenth time to Natsu and what he said last night, "_I promise_." The thought of it made her cheeks warm as blood rushes to her face. She still felt bad about the way she acted towards him and she wanted to do something to show that she was. Maybe she could cook him something. What did Dragons like to eat? Did they even eat human food? She did not know…maybe she should read up on it. There are millions of books in the royal library in the south wing of the castle, and if she asked Levy to help her find some she was certain she would have a book on Dragons resting in her hands in under ten minutes, while on her own it would take so much longer. That's what she'll do! She'll read more on Dragons; she never had before because the Dragon Masters had already taught her everything that really needed to be known about the species-like how to deflect their attacks and how to get away if one managed to snag you in its teeth. Well, if one did you might as well just let it eat you because chances are one you get out of its teeth you won't be getting away, especially with the chunk that had most likely been taken out of you. Lucy has never had this problem, obviously, and considering she could speak in Dragon tongue she never even got injured doing what she did.

Confident in her choice to apologize to Natsu, Lucy skips down the hall with an excited look on gorgeous face. While she was in the library she could get the books she needed for her homework as well. The start to her day may have been a little bit boring, but she was sure that it would get a whole lot more interesting. So as she pushes open the grand doors to the enormous library she finds herself excited and cheerful. "Oh Levy-chan~!" She calls out at the top of her lungs, knowing that servants rarely entered here and since the place wasn't public she didn't have to worry about bothering other readers. She skips inside while taking in the walls that were covered in books of all varieties. Humor, romance, crime, fiction, nonfiction, horror and even erotica books decorate the vicinity, and some hard-wood tables were overflowing with large textbooks. It was at one of these tables she found the cute, pixie-like girl named Levy McGarden. She was a tiny thing, with the most gorgeous curly blue hair and big, round innocent brown eyes. Of course, don't let those eyes fool you. She could be real mischievous when she wants to be.

The young maiden looks up from the humongous book she was reading and says with a huge smile that brightened up Lucy's morning, "Oh hello, Lu-chan!" She puts a hand on her heart and bows her head in respect for the princess, and Lucy returns the gesture. "What did you come here for?" She questions lightly, marking her page and closing her book. She sets it down on the table in front of her with a small _thud_. She pushes back a strand of blue hair from her face and adjusts the glasses over her eyes.

A carefree smile comes to Lucy's face. She loved how cute her best friend acted at times and she knew that Levy had her completely wrapped around her little finger, "I need the historical textbooks for homework…" She begins and immediately Levy is off having known exactly where those books were. Lucy claps her hands together behind her back and waits patiently for her friend to return. When she does she is carrying two large volumes that make Lucy cringe in disgust, "Great. Stupid old man giving me too much damn work!" Lucy curses, surprising her friend.

Levy blinks a few times before smirking and saying in her child-like voice, "Master Marcov troubling you again with homework? You know he just wants you to get a great education, Lu-chan!"

Lucy sighs, seeing the truth in her words, "Yeah, yeah I know…but still can't he ever give me a break? He always gives me way too much work…" Reluctantly she takes the heavy novels from Levy's thin arms. God dang, these were heavy as Hell! She sags underneath the weight of them and stutters, "H-how did you manage to lift these?!"

Levy shrugs, "I guess all these years of managing the library really paid off!" To prove a point she flexes mockingly and smirks hugely, making Lucy laugh.

Lucy sets the textbooks down and smiles, "Oh, Levy-chan I also need another thing."

"Yes, what is it?"

"Do you…have any books on Dragons?"

The quick flash of surprise on Levy's face did not go unnoticed by Lucy yet she says nothing about it. The bookworm cocks her head to the side and questions, "I thought you were taught everything to know about Dragons, why would you need that now?"

Lucy glances at the ground, something she always does when she's about to tell a lie, "No real reason." She hated lying to her best friend but she wanted to keep Natsu and his tendency to change into a human boy-more like _man_ with how tall he is- at night. But alas, Levy see right through it as she always does. She puts a hand on her hip and scowls at the High Princess of Fiore, narrowing those pretty eyes of her's.

"Now Lu-chan I know you're lying to me." Suddenly she is pouting, eyes filled with tears. It absolutely mortifies Lucy, "Y-you don't t-t-trust me?" Levy asks, clasping her hands in front of her with a hurt look on her face. Lucy stares at her for a long moment, before sighing heavily.

"Fine…I'll tell you but you _cannot_ speak a word of this to anyone!" Lucy furiously whispers as if afraid of being overheard in the empty library. She gestures Levy to lean forward, which she does, "Seriously, you can't even tell Jet or Droy, capeshe** [A/N: A slang word used in America that means 'got it']**?!" Levy nods and does the gesture of crossing her heart with her pinkie. She smiles hugely as Lucy sighs heavily and tells her the entire story.

"Oh my God, are you serious?!" Levy exclaims causing Lucy to wince and nod her head.

"Yeah, I didn't expect it either, especially when he jumped me in bed." She grumbles obviously still pissed off at the fact. "That's why I need a book on Dragons. I was never in charge of feeding them so they didn't bother teaching me what they like to eat. I mean, he can turn into a human so he must be able to eat all types of food, right?"

Levy nods, "I'm pretty sure but let's get reference from _The Dragon Tome_ to be sure." She turns and walks off, confident in knowing where the large volume was. Lucy tags along this time, interested in what Levy said.

"_The Dragon Tome_? What's that?" She questions the tiny blunette with a curious look. Levy looks up at her with surprised eyes.

"You don't know? I'm surprised. _The Dragon Tome_ is the only book with accurate and modern information on the Dragon species. Things such as how to tame one, how they act, what they eat and even when and how they mate are written down. No one knows who the author is though…also different types of Dragons are listed and how they act individually." Levy explains easily with look filled with pride that she knows all of this. She probably read it thousands of times knowing her and how much she tended to worry about Lucy.

Lucy nods and immediately her mind sticks on _how they mate_. Why would that be important to humans? It is not as if Dragons sought out human girls or boys to marry, right? The thought was complete ludicrous! Maybe it is because Dragons tend to get far more agitated and hot-tempered while in heat-especially males. Human tamers would need to know this…yes, that must be the reason. Lucy decides not to think any more on this as she continues to follow her best friend through the labyrinth called the royal library. They take a few turns before Levy suddenly stops and Lucy almost runs into her back.

"We're here!" Levy says cheerfully and she rushes over to a large bookcase filled with hundreds of books. She grabs a ladder and rolls it over with an almost excited skip. She climbs up the ladder and stops at the very top, pulling out a leather-bound book from the others. She climbs down with the huge tome and smiles at Lucy. The two then waltz over to a table nearby and sit down on either side facing one another. Levy opens the ancient volume to its table of contents, "'Introduction'…. 'Species'….you said he was a Fire Dragon? Okay…. 'Fire Dragon'….ah-ah! 'Feeding Habits'!" She turns to page 394 and begins to read out-loud, "'…the proud species of Fire Dragon can eat many substances, both human food and nonhuman food alike…' Does that answer your question?"

Lucy nods her head vigorously, "Yeah! Thanks a lot, Levy-chan you gave me the exact information I needed!"

"Excellent!" Levy says happily and she lifts the book up in her noodle-arms, "Maybe you should keep this for now. Read all you can about Dragons, other than how to defeat them in battle." She giggles with a wink.

Lucy nods and says, "Wow, thanks Levy-chan!" She takes _The Dragon Tome_ from her, "Now I'll go down to the kitchens and make Natsu something to apologize for acting like such a jerk."

OoOoOoO

"Erza!" Lucy yells as she descends the stone stairway that lead into the kitchens. She hops off the last stair and smiles hugely as her eyes land on her red-headed friend who was in the middle of ranting about how everyone was doing something wrong. Said woman turns and returns the friendly smile Lucy gave her.

"Oh hello, Lucy." She does the informal bow while everyone else around her immediately halts what they are doing and drops to one knee and puts a single hand over their heart, bowing their head in great respect for the High Princess of Fiore.

Lucy knew that none of them would dare move until she said so, so with a hefty sigh she says, "On your feet." She made sure her tone was strong and firm as so she maintained dominance over the servants in the room. The cooks, maids and stable boys go back to what they were doing, whether it be cooking, cleaning or carrying in large bags of supplies. Lucy would fit into the scene perfectly considering she was wearing stable clothes, but she had a tiara on her head signaling her rank. The tiara itself was quite a masterpiece, with golden chains hanging low just above her eyes and dark rubies imbedded in the silver band that fit her head perfectly. She owned many tiaras and had only picked this one because it was the most comfortable.

She walks over to her friend Erza and smiles, "After my actions last night," Erza nods knowing exactly what she was talking about, "I have decided to make a feast in apology to a certain someone. You will help me, yes?"

Everybody in the room freezes, all very surprised at the fact that High Princess Lucy Heartphilia wanted to do _work_ in the _kitchens_. Lucy notices this and pouts adorably, "Is it really that strange that I want to do some work? I need to stop being so…._useless_."

Erza's brown eyes widen and she quickly says, "My Lady, you are far from useless. You are the High Princess of Fiore and very soon you are going to be the High _Queen_ of Fiore. It is not your duty to work in the kitchens. You have a very important role and hardly anyone useless could fi-"

"Erza." Lucy says sternly, quieting the woman with ease. She locks eyes with her and says darkly, "Did my father tell you to say this?"

"…." Erza did not speak for a moment as she stares into the eyes of her long time friend, "….yes, my Lady."

Lucy was not surprised by this in the slightest, "I see…as my personal chef my words and orders come first to you, understand?" She hated getting stern with her servants but she had to.

Erza watches her for a moment before nodding and bowing he head in shame, "Yes, your Majesty, I am very sorry, your Majesty. I will assist you in creating whatever dishes you so choose."

With a delighted chuckle, Lucy claps her hands excitedly, "Oh thanks Erza!" She launches herself at her friend, just about squeezing the life out of her with a hug. She separates and says with a huge and friendly grin, much different from her sophisticated and formal scowl she had on just a few seconds before, "You are so nice to me! Now let's get cookin'!"

"Lucy, if I may ask, do you even know the basics of cooking?"

OoOoOoO

Five gallons of milk and a very frustrated Erza later, Lucy stands in front of the large doors that led to Natsu's room in the Dragon Emporium. She glances back at the enormous platter covered with an equally large silver top and the servants who carry it. She smiles hugely and thankfully at them, "I would like to thank you for your services!" She says cheerfully, "After I open the doors, roll it in and quickly get out. I don't want any of you to be eaten by a Dragon!" The servant men share nervous looks before they all nod at the blonde. Her smile grows; _I'll definitely have to reward all of them…maybe I'll throw a party for their division of workers? _She thought to herself before pushing open the doors.

Large onyx eyes immediately swivel to land on her small form, his large tail swishes back and forth along the dirt ground. He crouches down onto his large paws and by force of habit his muzzle parts into a deadly snarl. The girl before him only rolls her big brown eyes and strolls farther into the room, gesturing with a lazy hand for servants behind her to carry in the large dish. She directs a sweet smile up at him and calls out, "Hey Natsu! Why so grumpy?"

"_I ain't grumpy_." He growls out, causing the servants to jump and quickly exit the arena. They shut the large doors behind them, most likely glad to get the heck out of there. His eyes return to looking at the female and he says in a voice that almost seems amused, "_Why are you h-_" He is cut off by the sudden _delicious_ smell coming from the very large covered dish beside Lucy. Drool puddles in his mouth as he takes a large whiff through his mouth, "_W-what it that?_" He questions, eyes gone huge.

Lucy giggles at his reaction and says, "I made something for you to apologize for being such a bitch last night." She bows her head in respect for the exiled prince and says in her most sophisticated voice, "Please allow this to show how sorry I am for acting rudely. Please accept it."

The large Dragon scoffs, a sound that shakes the floor. Lucy struggles to maintain balance before scowling darkly at him, "_Why so formal? We're friend, aren't we? Now tell what you made me, Luce!_" He looked so excited, this Lucy could tell. Over the years she has grown accustom to telling exactly what Dragons were feeling by either the tone of their voice or the way they are posed. Natsu's tail was swinging back a forth, quite like a dog's, and he was crouching as if he were about to jump for joy. His muzzle no longer held a snarl but instead a smirk that seems like a grimace on his face. He moves a bit closer, still sniffing at the food.

Lucy laughs and reaches over. She uses all of her strength to lift the top up, considering it was made out of pure silver and very heavy. She manages though, and drops it down to the side with a large _thud_! The contents on the large plate make Natsu's big eyes widen even more and that smirk broadens into a grin. Lucy gestures to it and bows like a chef would when presenting an entre to a royal family member, "Bon apatite!" She exclaims with a huge smile.

Natsu stares at the large pancakes with an idiot grin, "_For…me…?_"

"Who else, silly?" She looks around, "I don't see any other Dragons about!" Natsu says nothing but instead digs into it, flinging bits and pieces of soft, fluffy pancake everywhere. Lucy shields herself from some and giggles softly, "It took me five tries to make those! Erza got so angry with me; she was actually really scary…" Her mind flashes back to Erza screaming at Lucy in her frustration, something that made Lucy cower and beg for forgiveness. Oh it had been quite a show!

Once Natsu was finished eating he looks at Lucy with those big onyx eyes and gets in really close, his muzzle inches away from her face. She does not cower from him moving so close but instead stares into his eyes the best she can. She tries to ignore how her knees felt so weak and how every hot breath that passes through those large jaws and blows across her body made her felt _just so we_-she stops herself right there, disgusted at how she felt. He was a _Dragon_ for fuck's sake! There was no way she could feel sexually exhilarated from a beast! ….But his scales were so beautiful, his large fangs so pearly white…everything about him is magnificent-from the top of his head to the tip of his tail. Why was he so close anyway? Not one scenario of him eating her ran through her head. She was far past that in her life. She no longer feared Dragons, but instead felt a fascination towards them. She knew he would not eat her for what would he get out of it? The taste of human in his mouth and a furious country out to destroy him? No, even he wasn't that stupid. She shivers as he begins to speak, "_Thanks for the food!_" Every word of his sentence vibrates through her entire body, shaking her and thrilling her. She had to get away from him; she couldn't bear to be this close! _What is wrong with me?_ She thought to herself before she backs up away from him and smiles.

"O-of course!" She tries not to show that she was obviously shaken up by what he did to her, and covers it all up with that friendly and ignorant seeming smile of her's, "No problem, Natsu!"

He watches her with those big onyx eyes that warmed her up inside before opening his large muzzle to speak, "_Actually, I have something to ask of you._"

This draws her attention. What does she have that he could possibly want? **[A/N: Now, I want no perv comments, ya'hear?]** "Sure, what is it?"

OoOoOoO

The crowds part as the imperial carriage rides by, many getting on their hands and knees and bowing low to the ground. Guards swarm around the golden transportation vehicle as if somebody from the crowd would dare try to harm the treasure inside. It was mid-day, so not many people were out shopping in the markets but there was still enough for there to be a need for crowd control. The sun shines hotly in the sky, baking the young woman inside of the carriage. She sighs and fans her face with a dainty hand, wanting nothing more than to just rip these thick garments off and walk down the street wearing her stable clothes. But no, her father made it clear that if she were ever to leave the castle and go into the kingdom, she must wear 'proper royal dressings' as he put it. So here she was, riding around in this stuffy carriage, drawing way too much attention and sweating her ass off in a thick, blue dress. Sure, it did look _ah-mazing_ on her, but it forced her to sit upright and was very uncomfortable. The corset hurt her chest and made it difficult to breathe. Surely she was skinny enough without it?

Lucy Heartphilia glances out the carriage with irritated eyes, her mind going back to Natsu's request. Such a strange thing to ask of her! Well, with her connections it should be easy to find the item but still….all of this….for a scarf?

"_When those pesky humans brought me in, they took all of the possessions I had on me. That included some Earthland currency and a special book. Those don't matter, what I really need is my scarf back. It would be awesome if you got the book too, though, I might need that…."_

She sighs heavily before looking down at her hands in her lap, _a scarf…didn't he say it was made from Dragon scales? How peculiar. No matter, I will retrieve his items! _

**OoOoOoO**

**I know, shitty ending but whatevs! Now next up: Let Me In! That or I'll work on the millions of one-shots I have yet to finish….hm….**

**I hoped you enjoyed this chapter! See you next time!**

**PARADISE.x**


	6. The Tamer, Enjoying

**Ssup, everyone! How are my number 1 people? Oh? You're doing horribly? That's a shame…I'm doing great though, thanks for asking!**

**Haha, anyway did you guys enjoy last chapter? It was kind of one of those 'filler' chapters, you know…but now some fun begins! In this chapter I think I'm going to have Lucy meet Gajeel…hm…not sure…maybe Cana…maybe both!**

**Dudes, I don't even know what I am going to put in that book Natsu wants. I think something like-cannot show this because then it will give lots of shit away-so yeah, and then he'd squash a banana.**

**Thanks to everybody that review! It is such a great help and really keeps me updating stories :3**

**OoOoOoO**

It was as hot as hell inside the carriage and she was certain it would be no different outside of it. She fans her face and neck with a dainty hand and sighs almost dramatically. She looks over at her maid Wendy, who had decided to come with her. She frowns disdainfully and begins to complain, "Oh, Wendy-chan, it is so h-" She catches herself, and ceases her fanning motions. She had promised herself she would stop complaining and deal with things herself from now on. So with a straight face-even though she was crying on the inside-she completes her sentence with a simple, "Never mind."

Wendy looks oddly at her before shaking her head and saying with a tiny smile, "You can complain to me, my Lady, I am here to please you."

Even though her words made perfect sense to her, Lucy Heartphilia brushes her statement off with a dismissive wave of the hand, "Nonsense, Wendy-chan! I will be less of a bother, I promise!" She strikes a determined pose and face making her maid giggle behind a pale hand.

"Very well, my Lady, even though I do not see why you should bother yourself with such matters…I mean, cooking in the kitchen!" Wendy makes an exasperated sound and makes eye-contact with her friend, knowing she was one of the few that could, "That is the job of the servants! You are the High Princess of Fiore, you need not do such brutish jobs…"

This gets Lucy angry, and she makes it known by narrowing her pretty eyes and placing her hands on her knees, "Oh and what do I need to do, then, huh?!"

Seeing her mistake, Wendy attempts to correct it, "M-m Lady-"

"No, I get it!" Exclaims the princess. She would have stood up if she could, she would have put her hands on her hips if she could, but the space they were occupying was quite small. Her face goes red and not just from the heat, "You're just like my father! You believe princesses should act all proper and sweet and nice and innocent and wait ever so patiently for some rich suitor from another kingdom to come along and _pay_ to marry me!"

Wendy's gorgeous brown eyes go even wider and her voice gets just as high as Lucy's, "_My Lady!_" Her tone is extremely reprimanding, as if she was speaking to a three year old who just colored on the walls, "Why you would ever even think _up_ such a thing is beyond me! You _know_ I will _never_ think of you that way! I am here to make sure you achieve happiness and to protect you, why would I label you as some idiotic princess with no knowledge of the world?!" She is breathing as hard as Lucy, maybe even harder, and her eyes hold such anger it almost scares Lucy.

The princess stares at her royal servant with eyes made of fire before she closes them and breathes through her nose, "Oh Wendy-chan…" Her tone still holds a sliver of malice which causes Wendy to blanch. She was afraid that this time she had gone too far, gotten too informal with her and that she wouldn't be able to fix the problem this time. Just as she was about to apologize profusely and begin to cry, Lucy opens up her eyes again and smiles softly at her, "Oh Wendy-chan," she repeats, "I am so sorry for thinking that. I was a fool…" She looks away as if Wendy was the princess and not her.

Wendy blushes faintly at the apology from a girl of royal blood and smiles hugely, "Nonsense, my Lady! I apologize for getting so snippy with you." She glances out of the carriage window and says, "Oh my, we are already here. Would you like me to escort you inside?"

Lucy glances out to see a trashy looking tavern. The roof was missing some planks of wood, glass windows were broken letting the sound of joyful laughter and music slither out. Immediately her jaw drops and she stutters out, "W-what is this place?" Her brown eyes are wide with wonder and she can't help but smile softly at the fun and upbeat music. The carriage driver moves around to open the carriage door, blasting a wave of heat at the two ladies. Lucy begins to fan her face again as she exits the pristine ride with Wendy tagging along behind her. She lifts up the skirt of her dress of an appropriate level of her ankle before letting it drop and skim against the rough looking ground. She has never seen this part of town before! She glances around-it was so…so…_messy_. Litter clouds the ground, gravel roads were missing patches of rock here a there, and the buildings looked so run down that she pitied the souls that live inside. The imperial maiden turns her head again and looks back at the tavern and says, "So this is the place the mages that caught Na-I mean the fire Dragon reside?" Her tone was filled with misgivings but she does not voice them.

Wendy nods her head and averts her eyes to the building, "Aye-ah! I mean, ha-ha…" Lucy looks at her strangely so Wendy coughs lowly and says, "Yes, my Lady."

Lucy cocks an eyebrow at her friend's strange reaction before looking up and reading a worn out, eroded sign that reads, _FAIRY TAIL_. She narrows her eyes against the sun's glare and wonders, _what possessed them to name a guild that?_ She shrugs her shoulders. What her subjects chose as names were of no real importance to her at the moment. She gestures for the guards that followed her to stay back and she takes Wendy's hand, surprising the girl. She smiles hugely at her friend, "Well, why stay out here? I've got some investigating to do!"

Wendy stares at her for a moment before smiling softly, "Yeah!"

The two women enter the tavern, going through the already opened door. Lucy's eyes widen as she takes in the sights, sounds and smells. There were people, of all ages, _everywhere_-hanging from the ceiling, sitting in chairs, on tables, on the long bar in the back. Many were standing and even some were _fighting_! A large man with snow white hair yells at a smaller man with rave black hair-who was quite handsome, Lucy might add. The two looked dangerously close to breaking out into a real fist fight and she was certain the big man would pound the smaller one into the ground. She had to do something! These people lived in Fiore, they knew who she was so surely they would obey her every whim! Everybody does, even thugs that most would consider 'animalistic and uncivilized'. They were no different right? But of course, the thought of hurting the poor man's ego left her contemplating whether or not she should interfere. He got himself into it, he should be the one to get himself out…plus to be saved by a _girl_ more or less…the poor guy would be embarrassed beyond belief! So with a heavy heart she decides not to do anything but stand in the doorway wondering who she should talk to. Wasn't there a leader or something of mage guilds?

Lucy sighs softly and glances over at Wendy, who was staring pass her and farther into the room. Confused she follows her maid's gaze to be resting her eyes on a tall boy about their age with tar black hair and bright eyes. He was laughing with an older man who was drinking very heavily and for minute, she could have sworn his eyes flit over to Wendy's. A knowing and devious smirk spread across her lips and she turns to her friend beside her, "Hey, Wendy-chan."

Tearing her from her obvious daydreams, Wendy looks up in surprise and says, "Oh, yes, my Lady?"

With brown eyes twinkling with mischief she says, "I don't need an escort tonight…" She winks at her, "But you do."

Wendy's face explodes with red and she stutters out, "W-w-what? M-my Lady! I-I do not…escort….Romeo…"

Lucy cocks her head to the side, "He's your Romeo? Or is it…you know this young lad?" She was having quite a lot of fun messing with her friend.

Wendy stares into the ground, "M-maybe…yes…I-I come here sometimes because it is just so fun here, you know?" She glances up at her to judge her reaction but Lucy only smiles and pats her on the back.

"Go get him, tiger! I have work to do…" Then Lucy leaves her alone with a big smirk on her face, passing by the tall young man with tar black hair and bright eyes. He stops and looks at her a moment before his eyes widen with realization. Her own eyes go huge as well and she presses a pointer finger to her mouth and shakes her head. He knew who she was and probably was going to make a big deal out of it and mess up Wendy's chances of hanging out with him. Lucy winks at him, gestures back at Wendy and then continues on towards the back, keeping her head down so it just looked as if a well dressed woman decided to waltz in to a dangerous looking tavern for a drink and a break from the hot sun. Once she comes upon the bar counter she meets a woman about her height with long, flowing white hair and the most beautiful smile Lucy has ever seen on another human being. _This woman…she's so gorgeous!_ She thought to herself before offering a smile of her own, "Good day, you must be the barmaid." She masks her imperial tone with commoner's drawl, making her voice sound rougher and good-natured.

The white-haired woman nods her head and says, "That I am, miss, now what will it be? A lemonade?"

The princess chuckles and says, "It sure is a hot one, ain't it?" She winces at her overkill before continuing, "But what I need is not a beverage." She takes a seat on one of the cushioned bar stools. It actually felt quite nice to be sitting there.

The barmaid's pretty blue eyes widen and she says, "Ma'am, I know Fairy Tail has some good looking mages but we don't support that kind of business."

It takes Lucy a minute to understand, with her naïve and innocent mind, but then she finally gets it and her face goes as red as a ripped tomato. She blanches and places a hand on her chest in surprise, "Goodness me, woman, why on Earthland would you think I would want to buy a lover?" She was sure her blush spread down to her neck too especially when people began to go silent and abandon their conversations in favor of listening to the two.

The woman's blue eyes suddenly turn smug and she says, "I knew it, you aren't from around here. The accent was a bit too heavy and you sounded like you were trying too hard. Next time you want to hide that fancy voice of yours, try it on someone a little less bright, okay? Now, what would the Princess of Fiore like to know?" Low whispers and murmurs started up, many surprised that she was here in this part of the kingdom of Magnolia.

Lucy realizes her mistake and replays her words in her head. She was certain commoners never used 'goodness'…no, they used 'god' more…and she was sure they didn't say 'why on Earthland'…_damn it all!_ She curses in her mind before smiling nervously at her and saying, "I just came to this…." She searches her mind for a good word, "_interesting_ part of town to complete a favor of a friend of mine. The Dragon my father paid some of your mages to capture and transport to the castle, who might they be and where do I go to talk to them?"

The barmaid smiles again and says, "Oh, Gajeel, Laxus and Gray? Here, I'll call them over." She turns her head in the direction of the guild hall and calls out in a surprisingly loud voice, "OI! GRAY, GAJEEL, LAXUS! You got someone important here to see you!" Refusing to blush at her comment of 'important', Lucy tries to wait as calmly as possible, all the while wondering who these people could be like. Would they be nice and helpful? Or would they demand something from her because she's the princess? She was very scared of that option; she didn't know what she would do in a situation like that!

She hears heavy footsteps behind her and she turns her head, peering over a tiny shoulder. She just about pees herself at the sight of the man that stood directly behind her, so close she could almost _feel_ his aura of strength and dominance. He had a vicious scowl upon his metal studded face and his arms-seemingly the size of tree trunks!-crossed across a large chest. He is wearing all black, a color that really suits him, and his spiky hair matches it. He cocks an eyebrow at her and says in a gruff and frightening drawl, "What do you want?" his tone was one of impatience, as if he had better things to do with his time than speak to the High Princess of Fiore. This makes Lucy's eyes narrow and she immediately goes into the formal attitude of all the high ranking nobles. She stands up from her seat, making sure he could well see the gorgeous golden crown upon her head, and stares at him with cold eyes, hoping to give off an imperial vibe. _Oh God, I pray this works. This guy could squash me like a bug! _

The tall man stares down at her for a second longer before looking at the barmaid behind the counter. He sighs heavily and uncrosses his arms, "She's the princess, ain't she?"

The woman nods her head, "Yep!" She giggles a bit, making Lucy think she _liked_ seeing someone basically ask for death by treating her this foul way. But of course, _technically _everyone in here should be sentenced to death for not immediately bowing to her the second she walked in; then again, she did not give any announcements of entering, as she did not wish to start a fuss. The big man sighs again before looking at her and bowing his head in apology.

"I am sorry for treating you so harshly, yer Majesty." He grumbles darkly, probably already coming to hate her.

Lucy inspects his posture and his studded face, _a man of his size would be a fine addition to Erza's force…maybe I could offer him a job…? Isn't it the dream of every worker to be a servant in the royal palace? At least, that is what father has told me…they do get paid more…_She thinks to herself before she lets her guard down and she says with a big smile, "No problem! But next time, make sure not to do anything that'll get you killed. My dad is not _nearly_ as lenient as I am!" She pats his head as if to comfort him before she continues, "I am guessing you are Gajeel…the name makes a lot of sense."

The man ceases bowing and looks at her with a strange look. Maybe he was expecting her to have a fit because he treated her poorly? He stares at her for a moment longer before shaking his head and muttering, "Damn princesses…Anyway, yeah I'm Gajeel. What do you need?"

Before she can even open her mouth to answer she hears, "OI! Gajeel, nice work treating a fancy that way!" The amused call comes from their left and the two turn to see a half-dressed man walking towards them. Lucy's face explodes with red-she has never really seen a guy so underdressed before, well other than Natsu, but he didn't really count. She was used to men acting like gentlemen and calling her 'your Majesty' and 'my Lady' and an assortment of other titles-certainly not 'a fancy'!. She resists covering her eyes and instead takes in the man's features. Now that she looks closer, he was the man from earlier, the one she saw fighting that big white-haired man! He took down a Dragon? His magic must be very powerful then…The two men begin to bicker, something that annoys her. She clears her throat loudly; the way she had heard other noble maidens do when they are ignored to get attention. It works and immediately the raven haired man is on one knee, bowing his head and placing a palm over his heart. He does not stare at the floor though, as most servants do, and instead stares straight into her eyes surprising her. How long has it been since a commoner dared look into her eyes? It felt…good somehow and she finds herself smiling softly. "Greetings, your Majesty. It is my honor to be in your presence."

His words make her cheeks darken, and they do even more when she gets a glimpse of his _oh-so-perfect_ abs. Swallowing the drool that threatened to surface, she nods her head and says, "Y-you may rise. May I ask something?"

The young man nods his head and stands up completely with a friendly smirk, "Of course, your Majesty."

Lucy waves this off, "Just 'princess' shall do, my good man. I must inquire…" She glances down at his chest again and feels her heart skip a beat, "Is it normal for a commoner to walk around without garments?"

His eyes go huge and he looks down to see that yes, he was indeed missing a shirt. "Gah! How in seven hells…" He looks around furiously before suddenly a white shirt is thrown at his face. He slips it on and nods his thanks in the general direction from which it came from. Lucy too looks over there and could have sworn she saw a flash of azure hair…Shrugging it off as a simple hallucination, she looks back at the two men. "Sorry about that, Lucy-hime!" Her eyes go wide at the name. Lucy-hime? Hime as in princess? No one has ever called her that…it felt so familiar…so…almost brotherly.

She coughs softly, trying to fight pass the happiness that erupted from her. No commoner has ever been so familiar with her! It was so exciting! "I just don't see why you stripped…in front of many ladies too…"

Gajeel speaks up this time with an amused smirk, "Ice prick here just has a little problem."

The shorter man turns to him and snarls out, "Who you callin' ice prick, metal-face?!"

Now it was Gajeel's turn to get angry, "I am, you dunce!"

"Pig!"

"Stripper!"

"Lunatic!"

"Popsicle!"

Lucy glances between the two with huge eyes showing signs of fright. They had such nasty expressions on their faces…and yet what they called insults were just odd! "Well, this escalated quickly…" She deadpans. She looks back at the barmaid behind the counter and decides to ask her for her name, "Excuse me, I never asked for your name."

The white-haired woman with sparkling blue eyes looks at her in surprise before smiling and saying, "Name's Mirajane! You can just call me Mira if you want, Lucy-hime." _She called me that name too! I-I feel so…special…_ **[A/N: Says the princess of an entire nation -_-]**

Lucy nods her head, "Mirajane, eh? That's a really pretty name!" She compliments with a big grin. She already felt comfortable around the older woman, and even around the two hooligans behind her. That was both her gift and her weakness-she trusted people very quickly and once she did, she trusted them to the point of putting her life in their very hands! But of course, if you shatter her trust in you, the backlash will be painful and you will suffer. No one has made her get angry like that as of yet so she didn't see any reason not to trust the people around her. They all seem decent enough.

Mirajane giggles, "Oh thank you. Coming from a young lady of your status that really means a lot. So, uh," she glances around, "shouldn't you have guards or something?" She looks back at Lucy.

She just shrugs, "I made them all stay outside. I didn't want anybody to make a fuss. I had intended on zooming in an out with the information and/or items I required." She sits down on the barstool again, lifting her skirt up so it doesn't tug on her neck. She places her elbows on the bar countertop and smiles softly.

"I see. Well, we can't have a princess wait no can we?" Says Mirajane with another delightful chuckle. She looks over at the bickering Gray and Gajeel, whose yelling was quickly morphing into an upcoming fistfight. With narrowed baby blue eyes she screeches, "You two! How could you even _consider_ fighting like this in front of Lucy-hime?! She is the High Princess of Fiore and you will treat her as such, _do you understand me_?!"

Everybody that has bothered to watch the three now stare and those who haven't been are baffled. Murmurs and mutters start up and about again, and one person even says loudly, "_Do we all have to bow?_" This makes many laugh and others chuckle nervously. Perhaps they have done some misdeeds and were afraid that she, being the supreme law of the land-below her father-,would report them to the Magic Council? As if she would do such a cruel thing. She was sure all these mages were nice people, no matter how strange or scary they looked. Lucy casts her gaze upon them and she sees some visibly flinch when her eyes land on them. She cocks her head to the side with a hurt expression on her face. She looks back at the friendly three that she has already come to like-even though Gajeel was kind of a jerk. She smiles when she sees the two men sitting like good little boys on barstools next to her, "Wow, Mira-chan can really whip you two into shape, can't she?" She chuckles heartily at them.

Gajeel looks at her and says, "Laxus is out on a mission so you won't be able to talk to him-besides, he's a dick anyway so why would you want to talk to him?" He scratches the back of his head and stares at the ceiling.

Gray looks over at her and flashes a handsome smile, one that could rival even Natsu's, "So, what did you need, Lucy-hime?"

She crosses her legs under her long and large skirt, cursing her father for forcing her to wear such nonsensical garb in the dead of summer. She places her petite hands in her lap, "I need to know, the Dragon that you two took down for my father recently, I believe he carried some possessions with him? Well, I need those back."

Gajeel looks over at her, "Why?" He says directly and gruffly. Everything about this place was so informal! She actually felt like a normal girl…and it made her heart soar.

She tries to come up with a good excuse. She hadn't bothered to think up of one considering she thought that they would just tell her without question. She had also thought they would be far more formal and polite, but even she is wrong from time to time. She racks her thoughts for something acceptable before she finally says with overdone confidence, "Yes!" She slams her fist down into her hands, "Simple, really, you see I have the tendency of being overly nice to my 'pets'," she visibly winces at the words, "so I wish to gift my newest one with his items safely returned to him. I do believe he said there was a book he desired…oh! A scarf too! I think he described it as a 'Dragon-scaled' muffler."

Gray's ad Gajeel's eyes widen simultaneously and the larger one of the two says, "Said?"

Lucy nods her head and looks at them with an expression as if it was completely normal to her, which in a way it was. "Yep, you see, I have the ability to speak to Dragons, unlike all of my fellow Dragon Tamers. My dream is to be skilled enough to be qualified to join the legendary Dragon Masters-oh, and of course to rule this country the way I choose. So, if you guys want any say in the new political system I am creating, I do recommend you tell me now!" She jokes casually with a big grin. She is painfully aware of all other people watching them and it begins to make her very nervous. The only times she has ever been in a room full of this many people are at balls and gatherings and she never speaks in front of anyone there. She was just there to be pretty and dance with whoever asks her-which is every male and occasionally some females. She brushes a strand of her loose blonde hair behind one ear and keeps her eyes on the two next to her.

"I wanted to know how you talked to Dragons, not yer life story…." Gajeel mutters and Lucy scowls at him with her tongue sticking playfully out.

"I know what scarf and book you are talking about." Gray says, "But we don't have them anymore. You're gonna have to go talk to Cana, we gave them to her because she fancied them." He looks at Mirajane, "A pint please, Mira." The barmaid nods and fetches his drink.

Lucy looks at the handsome raven haired mage, "Cana? Now who might she be?"

Gajeel actually cracks a smile at her question and says, "Oh you'll just _love_ her."

Now why did she have a bad feeling about this?

**OoOoOoO**

**How did you like this chapter? I think it was longer than the last one, I might be wrong though…Oooooo Cana is gonna come in and have some fun with the princess next time~!**

**Next up on update list: Let Me In! Or the millions of one-shots I have yet to finish….**

**Preview [I didn't give one last time….]**

"_If I win, you get me a job of my choosing at yer palace."_

"_And if I win?"_

"_You get that reptile's shit back!"_

**REVIEW!**

**Bye!**

**PARADISE.x**


	7. The Tamer, Offering

**Hey everybody and welcome to The Dragon Tamer chapter 7! OMG Did you read the newest manga update of Fairy Tail?! I DIED! It was so beautiful! COBRA IS BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER! Those Dragons don't stand a chance! And what is up with Rouge's new do? I like his past self waaaaaay better! **

**You know, I really want Lucy to do something amazing in battle for once….sure she closed the Eclipse doors, but other than that she has just gotten beaten in the Magic Games arc -_- By everybody, too! God it's annoying 'cause I love Lucy3**

**Anywho, last time Lucy goes looking for the objects Natsu wants in the very guild that captured him! They tell her to go ask Cana…? What's a Cana?**

**Enjoy~!**

**OoOoOoO**

Gray smirks at Lucy and points in the direction of a corner in the guild. She follows his line of sight to see the most scantily dressings she has ever seen. The woman was beautiful, yes, and she left nothing to imagination with her tight green bikini top and brown shorts. She is leaning against the wall with a large _barrel_ in her arms. Her face is flushed a bright red and Lucy knows she is most likely drunk. The woman gives a wave at the princess before gesturing for her to come on over. Steeling herself and preparing for the worst, Lucy makes her way towards the older woman with long brown hair. All part way to let her pass, and many even move tables out of the way for her, something Lucy thinks is a waste of time. Even so, she allows them to do what they think is appropriate behavior in front of the Princess of Fiore. When she finally makes it over to the drunken woman, she smiles, "Greetings miss." She says politely, trying to make a good impression.

The drunken woman flashes a large smirk and kicks out a chair at her, which she just barely dodges. Her brown eyes go huge as it comes to a rest directly in front of the woman and she recognizes the familiar presence of Wendy by her side. She turns her head to see the maid, still slightly red faced, scowling darkly at the drunk woman, "Cana-chan, do not be so violent with her Highness!" She barks. It is then Lucy catches the gleam of the blade, hidden in Wendy's palm. It flashes brilliantly and Lucy is quick to calm down her servant.

"Wendy-chan, it is quite alright. You need not jump to conclusions. This pleasant lady was just pulling out a chair for me." Lucy reprimands, making the maid back down and bow her head in apology to both her mistress and Cana. The blonde gathers up her skirts before sitting down in front of the drunken woman across from her. Wendy still eyes Cana distrustfully so Lucy dismisses her with a simple, "Leave, please. Go talk to that Romeo boy again." As Wendy backs away in a respectful manner, Lucy makes eye contact with the maiden in front of her. She was sitting in the most unlady-like way she has ever seen, with her legs open wide as she lounges against the wall. If Lucy didn't trust what Gray and Gajeel told her earlier, she would've immediately dismissed this woman as a corner street whore and would've gone on to a more dignified looking individual. Making sure she looked like the princess she was, the blonde offers the woman a polite if not stressed smile, "I apologize for my maid, Miss Cana, she can be a little overzealous at times."

Cana takes a long swing out of her barrel that Lucy assumes is filled with alcohol before smirking, "'Miss Cana'? Hm…" She scratches her chin in thought, "I quite like that. I guess you want me to bow to you or somethin'." Her voice if rough, almost arrogant. This was certainly the most peculiar woman Lucy has ever seen!

The princess simply shrugs, "If you want to, I'd rather just get on with what I need to do." She smoothes down her thick skirt for any wrinkles, and while doing so she can't help comparing herself to Cana. The drunken woman was definitely the prettier one, much to Lucy's disdain, and seemed far more confident. Lucy feels anger stir within her, and to keep it back she ends her thoughts with a sharp reminder that she was the High Princess of Fiore and could have anything she ever asked for, while this woman would have to work and work and might not even get what she wants at times. Satisfied that she was better than this Cana woman, she crosses her legs under her dress and her smile grows into a genuine groove.

Cana quirks an eyebrow at her, "I'd rather not, and you're in a hurry. What do you need, your Highness?" She gulps down yet another pint of ale. She reaches over and grabs a stray cup, dumping out its contents and using her pants leg to wipe off the rim. She fills it with golden liquid from her barrel, some splashing out, before she offers it to Lucy, "Want some?"

She denies with a shake of her head and a raise of a dainty hand, "No thank you, Miss Cana, I don't drink."

"Why, you allergic or somethin'?" Cana bluntly questions with a confused look on her face as if the very thought of someone not liking alcohol was impossible.

Lucy shakes her head, "No I am not."

"You fancies don't drink, then? Always thought that was quite a tiring occupation." Cana continues to inquire.

The High Princess of Fiore shakes her head, "No, most of us 'fancies' drink just as much as the next person, but as the princess I must practice self control and I must stay untainted. As a commoner you wouldn't understand."

Cana raises an eyebrow once again before tipping back the glass and drinking it down with enthusiastic gulps, "A commoner, eh? Interesting way to put it…Well, Lucy-hime, what can I do for ye?"

Lucy makes eye contact with the other woman and says evenly, "I would like to have the possessions of the Fire Dragon Gray-san, Gajeel-san and Laxus-san captured recently. They told me that they gave them to you-what I am looking for is a scarf, and perhaps a book of some sort."

Cana stares at the blonde for a few seconds, making her feel very uncomfortable under her scrutinizing and confident gaze, before she opens up her soft lips to say, "Yeah, I have those items. A Dragon-scaled scarf and leather bound book."

A big smile comes to Lucy's face as she imagines Natsu's happy face as she hands him the items. Her brown eyes sparkle and she says cheerfully, "May I have them, then?"

Cana's big smirk returns to her reddened face as she takes a long gulp of ale from her barrel. She sits up and criss-crosses her legs in her beat up chair, leaning forward with the barrel under one arm. Her eyes glint mischievously, and Lucy's grin droops slightly, "Yeah, you can have them…if you beat me in a game of champions."

Lucy is confused. She did not know what this 'game of champions' was, but it sounded quite exciting! She finds herself moving forward in suspense towards the other woman and she says, "What is this 'game of champions'?"

The people that were watching them begin to laugh and chuckle amongst themselves, making Lucy's face flare in embarrassment and pull back. Cana stares at her bewilderedly before starting to laugh herself, "'what is this game of champions' she says!" She laughs a bit longer along with everybody else before she stops and looks at Lucy with a playful grin, "It's simple, really, all you have to do…" Somebody hands her two tiny shot glasses and she fills one up with alcohol from her barrel, the other is already filled. She sets them down, some of the liquid escaping the glass and drenching the already filthy table. Lucy stares at the contents, already knowing where this was going, "Is beat me at my own game! Drink more than me, you win! But if I win…" She picks up the glass and gazes into the amber liquid, "I get a job of my choosing at yer fancy-schmancie palace."

The princess's eyes widen. She wanted a job? Didn't being a mage and belonging to a mage guild count as an occupation? Steeling herself and making her face become impassive, she says simply, "And if I win?"

"You get that reptile's shit back, that's what!" Cana says before she drinks down the ale in her glass. After she swallows it, "You are given an unfair advantage, though. I'm already drunk! And…" She points towards Lucy's cup, "You were given the easy stuff while I drink the man's drink. Let's begin, sweetheart." She shoots the stuff down like its nothing, and then sets the glass back down.

Lucy eyes her shot glass warily. She has never really drunken anything like this before. What if it tastes horrible? What if it made her stomach upset? Deciding to fall back on her imperial strength, she straightens herself up and says in a dangerous tone, "I could have you arrested, you know. I could, with all my power, have you imprisoned and hung for treason against the High Princess of Fiore. No one would dare question my power, and no one would dare remember you." She narrows her brown eyes at the woman across from her, hoping to get the reaction she wanted from her. To her surprise, Cana only continues to smirk while others back away in fear.

"Then you would have no idea where I hid the objects." She retaliates smoothly. She has done this before.

"Then I can have you tortured until you fess up." Lucy has also done this before. Cana was now in her territory, in what Lucy has been trained to do since she was a little girl in her mother's arms. She was certain the mage woman would not win this one.

"You're very right." Cana says in her drunken slur, but her eyes are completely focused and glinting humorously, "But you're not that type of person, are you?" She tilts her head to the side as she watches the royal maiden, that smug smirk still playing on her lips. Oh how Lucy wanted to reach out and smack it off of her!

Lucy stares at her for a few more long seconds, making everybody in the room extremely uncomfortable, before she opens her mouth to speak, "….you're right." She sighs lowly and everybody in the room chuckles nervously in relief. Slowly, she reaches over, wrapping her warm fingers around the tiny class. She lifts it up, making sure none of the contents spilled out and gently presses it to her light pink lips. She looks over at Cana, who nods her head to encourage her, before she tips both the glass and her head back and lets the amber liquid flow into her mouth. The initial taste is horrible, burning through her mouth and down her throat. She coughs loudly and slams the glass down on the table, surprised that she didn't break it. Her insides were on fire! She has never tasted something so bitter and disgusting yet so exhilarating and addicting at the same time that it made her wanting more! With huge brown eyes she gags a bit and manages out, "W-w-wo-cough-w! W-what is that?!"

The guild members around her are giggling amongst themselves, and Cana says, "The juice we give to our newborns. You really are an 'untainted princess' aren't you? I feel so sorry for you; never have had a drop of alcohol in your life!"

"Well," Lucy coughs a few more times, regaining her air of professionalism even though she felt like she was about to jump out of her seat. She can feel Wendy beside her again but says nothing about it, "considering I have an almost religious status to uphold, I cannot dawdle with such earthly matters." She says the word 'earthly' with great distaste, trying to seem like the noble she wasn't. Personally…she was having quite a bit of fun here in the Fairy Tail wizarding guild.

OoOoOoO

"And the blondie's out only six pints in!" Droy, an overweight mage commentaries in a loud voice, over the cheering and laughing of the crowd that has crowded around the town women.

"Personally, Droy, I'm surprised she even lasted this long!"Jet, a thin and tall mage wearing the most peculiar hat, responds with a big grin on his face while reaching over and poking the super-warm cheek of the K. princess. She groans and stares off into space with a tiny, lopsided grin on her face. She definitely was as drunk as a skunk. Cana, on the other hand, was still drinking while shaking her head at the girl with disappointment.

"Me too, Jet, me too." Cana remarks as she pours herself another glass. The princess groans again as she feels vomit rush up her throat. Oh no! She was going to throw up in front of all these people! This was not the way the Princess of Fiore should be acting in front of her subjects! Of course, at the moment she didn't really care. She launches up from her seat, stumbling and almost tripping, but then she pushes through the crowd, making her way towards the front doors of the guild. She rushes out and right when the cool air hits her face, she upchucks everything she just drank out onto the city street. She regurgitates a few more times, the alcohol and stomach acid mix bringing tears to her eyes. She should have known there was no way she could beat a woman like Cana in a drinking contest. She was obviously the heaviest drinker in the entire guild! God, she was so stupid! She should have just done what her father would do, bust up in there and demand the objects or off with their heads! But Lucy wasn't like that; she couldn't just kill someone for not telling her where something was. She stares at the ground in shame, tears in her eyes and her hands on her knees. She wipes her mouth before standing up straight and adjusting her tiara.

The sudden feeling of a hand on her back makes her jump slightly, and she turns her head to see Cana beside her with a bundle in her other hand. She has a sympathetic smile on her face and a flush in her cheeks. Lucy offers a tiny smile back but then her cheeks puff up again and she spews her guts all over the ground. Cana stays with her, rubbing her back comfortingly and saying encouraging words. She could be quite sweet when she wanted to be. Lucy's face was very red as she stands up again, insides twisting painfully. Cana throws her arm around the blonde's petite shoulders and says softly, "Sorry I made you do that. Got to keep up my rep, don't I?"

Lucy nods her head, not fully understanding but just going with it, "Yeah…so, you won. Which job in my palace do you desire?"

Cana thinks for a moment, tapping her chin with her index finger with a thoughtful look on her beautiful face. She stays that way for but a moment, before she looks at her and says, "Make me the Royal Alcohol Taster!" She has a big smile on her face, even though such a job did not exist.

Lucy cocks her head to the right and says, "We don't have that type of job. The closest to it is the Royal Food Taster, to make sure there is no poison laced in the food."

Cana cross her arms over her chest, being careful about the bundle in her other hand and scowls, "Well that's no fun! Fine, I'll be whoever makes the drinks! I can make a knock-out vodka and ale mix!" Delighted with her new idea, she looks to the princess to confirm.

Lucy thinks for a second before looking at the alcoholic with a wide and genuine smile, "Yeah, you'll do great in Erza's kitchens!"

"Yay, that sounds-" Cana begins in a flamboyant manner, before she suddenly stops smiling and just looks horrified, "W-wait…did you say…._Erza's_ kitchens?" She was shaking all over and already sweating profusely at the thought of the red-haired beast they call a maiden.

Lucy looks confused and she says, "Yeah…? Erza is my head cook, she does a splendid job! You'll just love working with her, she's very fun!" Of course, Lucy did know how scary Erza could be. Did Cana know her from somewhere?

Gulping loudly, Cana nods her head with a nervous and grim smile, "Y-yeah…fun." She scratches the back of her head, which makes the bundle's brown wax paper crinkle. Her eyes land on it like she just noticed it was there and she looks up at Lucy again. She offers it to her with a real smile, "Here, thought you deserved this. You never drank before, so it was understandable you wouldn't be able to hold much."

Lucy reaches up and takes the bundle from her gently. She could feel something hard and rectangular at the bottom, while at the top was nothing but soft squishiness. She tugs on the twine that keeps it sealed and pulls back the wrappings. Her eyes widen as she takes in the sight of a beautiful Dragon-scaled white scarf, folded perfectly on top of a medium-sized leather bound book. This must be Natsu's stuff! Lucy looks up at Cana with a huge smile, "Oh thank you, Cana!" She envelopes the mage maiden into a tight hug, where Cana squeezes her once.

"Okay, tiger, you can let go now." Cana says amusedly. Lucy nods her head and backs up, looking down at the objects. Her smile broadens into a grin as she feels the soft fabric of the scarf and the rough texture of the book. Natsu was going to be so happy she found these!

"A million thanks, Cana! Natsu's going to be so happy that he got his stuff back!" Lucy exclaims with an excited aura. She turns and looks at the setting sun, amazed that she had spent so much time inside of the guild. The thought of last night makes her cheeks flare up, especially the memory of him being naked, and she turns away, _he'll be coming tonight…he swore he would…I can't wait! _She thinks to herself before bowing her head in thanks to Cana. "Sincerely grateful, Cana!"

Cana nods her head and smiles, "Of course, Lucy-hime."

The informal name used by yet another mage in the guild Fairy Tail makes her eyes widen. She has never been called this before, and it excited her. She was never really allowed to make friends out of either her social class or the castle, and this was invigorating. Already she loved Fairy Tail and was certain she would come back again. Lucy smiles again, "You can start work in two day's time that gives you plenty hours to pack and get a carriage ready."

Cana nods before questioning, "I will be able to come back here, yes?" At Lucy's nod, she grins, "Well, can't wait! I'm going to go rub it in everyone's faces that I get to work at the palace as the alcohol maker, no less! I'll get Wendy for you!" She rushes back inside, entering with a joyous yell and a mocking call. Lucy watches after her with a small smile, happy that she was able to make the day of such a fantastic woman.

OoOoOoO

"They're gone already?" Gray questions as he lounges against the bar with a mug of ale in his palm. A tobacco roll rests between his lips, the wispy smoke rising up and into the rafters above. He takes a long drag and blows out through his nose, almost looking like a Dragon himself. "Shame, Lucy-hime is quite the hottie." He says with a smirk.

Cana reaches over and smacks the back of his head, "Enough of that, Gray. Lucy-hime is very gracious….but yeah, she does have big tits." She laughs loudly along with Gray before they both take large gulps of alcohol. "But seriously, she's a nice girl…she's going to be a great leader."

Gray stares at the ground for a moment, "Do you think…she could stop the raids?"

Cana watches him with careful eyes, not entirely sure what to say. The raids from Sabertooth Kingdom have been going on for many years now, some leaving entire provinces in shambles. The only answer was war, they all knew this well. But everyone knows that Sabertooth Kingdom will never play fair, especially their guild of deadly assassin mages known simply as Sabertooth Guild. No one knows much about them, only that they'll do anything to win. Cana did not know if Lucy would be strong enough to make a peace treaty, or even if she would want to. War was inevitable…Cana simply shrugs with a smile and says, "Only time will tell, Gray. I wonder how our little Natsu's doing, especially after finding out the single hardest person to get to in the entire world is his destined mate."

Gray snorts, "Lucky bastard-if he snags her, not only does he get a beautiful woman with huge tits, he gets an entire kingdom too! It's no fair!" He takes another drag while Cana takes a gulp out of her mug.

She scratches her chin thoughtfully and says, "Yeah…he would, wouldn't he? Gray," She looks at him with clever and plotting eyes, a sly smirk on her lips, "I think I know how to stop the raids and save this country."

**OoOoOoO**

**Here you are chapter 7 of The Dragon Tamer! I know, super late, I had a lot of things to do this week. I was going to upload this yesterday, but I couldn't finish it and I went to the zoo all freakin' day. We got home late and I was so tired I feel asleep immediately!**

**Well, sorry won't be able to post Let Me In this week, or any other things for that matter. Forgive me!**

**Review!**

**Preview:**

"_Here you go, Natsu!"_

"_Wow, thanks!"_

"_Lucy, I have heard noises from your room. What are you doing in there? I am worried."_

"_Lucy, this is Dan Straight from the Kingdom of Knights. He's here as a suitor."_

**See you all later!**

**PARADISE.x**


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